Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MINNEAPOLIS – A Lino Lakes man has been sentenced to 289 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for drug trafficking and firearms violations in connection to the December 2021 kidnapping and torture of a man, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on April 11, 2021, officers with the Worthington Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Jose Angel Chapa-Aguilera, 24. The traffic stop led to a search of the vehicle. Officers located a bag containing a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and more than two pounds of methamphetamine sealed inside four zip-lock bags in the spare tire compartment.

According to court documents, on December 20, 2021, at his Brooklyn Park residence, Chapa-Aguilera confronted a man about a drug debt. During the confrontation, Chapa-Aguilera brandished a handgun, ordered the man to the ground, tied his hands behind his back, and proceeded to beat and torture the victim for hours using a heated knife and a pipe, due to a perceived drug debt. During the torture, Chapa-Aguilera demanded money from the victim. Before leaving the residence, Chapa-Aguilera barricaded the victim in a crawlspace under the house. The victim was later able to escape and contact law enforcement. The victim suffered extensive injuries, including numerous burns, broken ribs, a large laceration above his eye and required a blood transfusion. Law enforcement seized approximately three pounds of methamphetamine from Chapa-Aguilera’s residence during a search warrant executed shortly thereafter.

According to court documents, on January 7, 2022, law enforcement located Chapa-Aguilera driving a purple-camouflage Humvee in the Twin Cities. After a high-speed pursuit, officers disabled the vehicle and pulled Chapa-Aguilera from the Humvee. Officers also recovered from the vehicle a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and several 9mm rounds of ammunition.

Chapa-Aguilera was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Joan N. Ericksen. Chapa-Aguilera pleaded guilty on September 6, 2022, to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF), the Brooklyn Park Police Department, and the Worthington Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case.