Couple Charged After 68 Pounds of DMT Seized from Garage
Kevin Michael Schwietz, left, and Kelsey Jean Schwietz
A husband and wife from Big Lake are accused of operating a clandestine drug lab in their garage, where investigators say they were manufacturing a powerful hallucinogenic.
Kevin Michael Schwietz, 34, and Kelsey Jean Schwietz, 32, were formally charged Friday in Sherburne County District Court with multiple drug-related offenses including first-, third- and fifth-degree controlled substance crimes and storing methamphetamine paraphernalia in the presence of children.
Kevin Schwietz also faces an additional charge of possessing ammunition as a felon. A Sherburne County judge has set bail for each at $1 million.
According to the Sherburne County Drug Task Force, an investigation led authorities to the couple’s home in the 18900 block of Helen Way, where suspected drug activity had been reported. A search warrant was executed on Tuesday, leading to the discovery of an active drug lab inside the attached garage. Investigators believe the lab was being used to produce dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, which is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance.
Authorities seized approximately 68 pounds of suspected liquid DMT, along with 61 grams of suspected powdered DMT, the task force says. Additional drugs were also recovered inside the garage and home, including 19 grams of methamphetamine, 1 gram of cocaine and 21 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.
Big Lake police and the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in the search and investigation.
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