SF Man Arrested After Second Meth Bust

by Jill Johnson
December 06, 2012 6:01 PM


A 63-year old Sioux Falls man is in federal custody, accused of possessing a large amount of methamphetamine.

It was just after 7 p.m., when police served a warrant at a home at 816 N. French Ave. But, the homeowner, Lester Estenson of Sioux Falls, didn't go without a fight.

Clemens said, "Inside, they found some more meth, there was quite a few different items, paraphernalia items that had residue on it."

Altogether, police uncovered 45.3 g of methamphetamine, marijuana, a firearm and nearly $8,500 in cash.

Clemens said, "Visually it doesn't appear to be much but when you combine all this stuff and they're packaged in smaller amounts, you can tell that it's set up for some type of distribution, whether they're selling it or passing it on for somebody else to sell."
    
If Estenson's name sounds familiar, that's because it is. On Nov. 8, he was one of three men arrested in a drug bust at the same home. At that time, police found nearly 2,000 pseudoephedrine pills, a common component used to make meth. They also found 143 g of meth, 148 g of marijuana, a small amount of cocaine and more than a thousand dollars in cash.

"The detectives are aware of this guy, this isn't his first time, last time wasn't his first time so he's had a history of using drugs and selling drugs," said Clemens.

Officer Clemens says in a typical drug bust police will uncover one to two grams of meth at the most, so 45 grams is a big find.

Among other charges, Estenson was arrested on possission of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and maintaining a residence where drugs are used or stored. Because the home was within 1,000 miles of Joe Foss School, he is also in violation of a drug free zone.