A 25-year-old Minnesota man hauled nearly a pound of pure methamphetamine across state lines with one goal: to flood Wisconsin Rapids with poison. Zakaree Stelzer, of Lakeville, Minnesota, was sentenced today to 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 465 grams of methamphetamine — a stash prosecutors called a “staggering amount” for a first-time offender.
The bust went down on December 10, 2020, when a Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department deputy pulled over a car driven by Stelzer and his co-defendant, Doua Moua, for a cracked windshield and erratic driving. The violation was minor. The consequences were not. When officers discovered both men had active state warrants, they searched the vehicle — and found a toolbox in the trunk stuffed with 465 grams of crystal meth, just over a pound.
During interviews after their arrest, both Stelzer and Moua admitted they’d pooled money to buy the drugs together in the Twin Cities. They weren’t users. They were dealers. Their plan: transport the meth across state lines and sell it in the Wisconsin Rapids area, where demand for cheap, potent stimulants has surged in recent years.
U.S. District Judge William M. Conley didn’t mince words at sentencing. He called the quantity of meth “troubling” and pointed to telephone records showing Stelzer had been active in drug trafficking in central Wisconsin long before the bust. Despite the evidence of ongoing distribution, Judge Conley weighed Stelzer’s limited criminal past and settled on a 60-month sentence — below the maximum, but hard time all the same.
Stelzer’s partner in crime, Doua Moua, already paid a steeper price. On October 19, 2021, Judge Conley sentenced Moua to 6 years in federal prison for his role in the same offense. The difference in sentencing reflects Moua’s deeper criminal footprint — but both men now face years behind bars for betting on addiction.
The investigation that brought down Stelzer was a multi-agency effort led by the West Central Drug Task Force, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department, Mondovi Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner prosecuted the case, underscoring the federal crackdown on cross-state meth pipelines feeding rural communities. Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, confirmed the outcome today, sending a clear message: Wisconsin won’t be a dumping ground for Minnesota’s drug trade.
Related Federal Cases
- Moore’s Massive Meth Empire Unraveled · Minnesota
- Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty To Meth Distribution · Minnesota
- Tomah Meth Kingpin Gets 12 Years · Wisconsin
- Chippewa Falls Man Gets 10-Year Sentence for Meth Trafficking · Wisconsin
- Fentanyl Flood: Chicago Drug Ring Busted · Wisconsin
Key Facts
- State: Wisconsin
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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