Pequot Lakes man pleads guilty to federal weapons, drug charges

A Pequot Lakes man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms, ammo, and over 400 grams of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats announced Tuesday.

Court documents show in the spring of 2019, the FBI learned that Nicholas Ronald Wynn, 35, was buying large amounts of firearm parts, body armor and equipment for making narcotics. On May 9, 2019, officers executed a search warrant at Wynn’s home.

Police found several items designed for semiautomatic guns: high-capacity magazines, a number of boxes of ammunition and tactical gear.

The agents also located large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, materials for selling drugs, recipes and chemicals for making methamphetamine, and more than 400 grams of methamphetamine. Wynn admitted at the hearing that he intended to sell the methamphetamine

Court documents show that after Wynn was taken into custody, he admitted to owning more guns in a storage unit in Brainerd. Agents found five guns and multiple boxes of ammunition.

Agents also searched Wynn’s rental property in Brainerd, which renters occupied. The renters told the agents that they did not have access to the garage. However, the renters indicated that Wynn accessed the garage often. As a result, agents executed a search warrant on the garage and recovered two segments of PVC pipe, capped on both ends in the manner used to make pipe bombs.

Wynn, scheduled to go to trial on Wednesday, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possessing ammunition as a felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled later.