Three Twin Cities men have been charged in connection to a law enforcement investigation that netted 80 pounds of methamphetamine allegedly tied to a Mexican-based Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO).
Donovan Carl Marx, 30, of St. Paul, Kenneth Eino Korkki, 42, of Coon Rapids, and Cristian Balmore Gonzalez Aguilar, 31, of Burnsville were each separately arrested last week after investigators with the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team (VCET) and United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) observed them involved in suspected drug transactions at a home in Coon Rapids, Minn.
Criminal complaints filed in three separate cases against the suspects in three counties describe that VCET and DEA had been investigating Gonzalez Aguilar as “a known drug trafficker” with ties to a Mexican DTO which is “coordinating the importation and distribution of methamphetamine in Minnesota.”
Charges say that investigators learned that a large shipment of methamphetamine would be distributed to Gonzalez Aguilar, the “known drug trafficker,” so a surveillance operation was set up on his vehicle.
On Jan. 10, 2025, Gonzalez Aguilar was tracked by investigators to a residence on the 11900 block of Sycamore Street Northwest in Coon Rapids, where they observed an individual, elsewhere described as Korkki, place a large plastic container into the vehicle. The complaint states that investigators believed the activity was consistent with the transport of a large amount of narcotics.
After leaving the residence, Gonzalez Aguilar’s vehicle was observed in Fridley weaving over traffic lines and having other equipment violations, and was pulled over by officers. Gonzalez Aguilar produced a Minnesota instruction permit, not a driver’s license, and told officers he’d been transporting a couch for a friend. Officers did not see a couch and did not believe one could be concealed in the type of vehicle Gonzalez Aguilar was driving. There was also a passenger in the car who did not have a valid Minnesota driver’s license.
After receiving permission from Gonzalez Aguilar to search the vehicle, they found 41.49 pounds of a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, investigators had been continuing surveillance at the residence on Sycamore, where an individual described as Marx backed a vehicle up to the garage. Marx and the person described as Korkki both loaded an identical plastic container into the vehicle. After leaving the residence, Coon Rapids officers attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The vehicle initially pulled over, but then suddenly accelerated and fled at speeds reaching 120 mph. The pursuit was terminated due to dangerous driving and running red lights, but state traffic cameras continued to track the vehicle into St. Paul.
At one point, Marx drove under a bridge, but the Tahoe did not immediately emerge on the other side. Officers later learned that a 911 caller behind the Tahoe saw Marx exit the Tahoe, retrieve a large gray container from the rear of the vehicle, and hide the container under the bridge. About a minute later, law enforcement converged on the vehicle at a red light, where Marx was taken into custody. A search of the vehicle turned up the lid to the large Tupperware container, but the container itself was missing. Officers retraced Marx’s path back underneath the bridge, where they found the Tupperware bin containing approximately 40 pounds of methamphetamine.
In a later statement, Marx admitted to “possibly knowing” that the Tupperware container contained drugs and said a Mexican source provided him with an address where he was supposed to deliver the container. Marx told investigators that there was a storage unit where additional drugs were stored, and that he had picked up bins and packages before. Occasionally, he said, he would also pick up sums of money and take it to an unknown Mexican female. Marx claimed that a male in Mexico, known to him as “J Doe,” is now the main person from whom he gets his directions.
A search warrant was subsequently executed on the Sycamore address, described as Korkki’s residence, where law enforcement found various stashes of ammunition, an AR rifle, and loaded magazines. The complaint indicates that Korkki is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a prior second-degree drug conviction. Korkki subsequently admitted to law enforcement that he provided each of the containers to the buyers of methamphetamine, and he believed there to be approximately 120 pounds of the drug.
Korkki also told Investigators that in return for his distribution of the methamphetamine, he would receive a pound of methamphetamine. Korkki also admitted that he has sold to these same individuals in the recent past. Korkki admitted to possessing the ammunition and said he was aware that he was ineligible to do so. Korkki claimed that the firearm belonged to his girlfriend, but said that his DNA would be on the weapon from prior handling.
Marx has been charged in Ramsey County with one felony count of first-degree drug possession involving 50 grams or more, Korkki has been charged in Anoka County with two felony counts of first-degree drug sales and one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and Gonzalez Aguilar has been charged in Hennepin County with two felony counts of first-degree drugs involving possession and sales over 50 grams.
All three defendants remain in custody in the respective county jails on bail amounts between $300,000 to $500,000. Korkki and Marx are next scheduled to make court appearances on Feb. 5, Gonzalez Aguilar on Feb. 13.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
