United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MADISON, Wis. – Robert J. Bell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s Chicago Field Division, and Scott C. Blader, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Todd Anderson, 38, of Centerville, Minnesota was sentenced on Friday, August 16, by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 90 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. Anderson pleaded guilty to this charge on April 30, 2019.

In July 2018, the DEA, the Eau Claire Police Department, and the West Central Drug Task Force were conducting a joint investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Eau Claire. Officers received information that identified Manuel Small as an individual selling methamphetamine out of an Eau Claire motel room and provided a description of Small’s source of methamphetamine. Officers were surveilling Small’s motel room on July 30, 2018 when Anderson arrived at the room, went in for a short time, then drove off. Anderson matched the description of Small’s drug source and was arrested minutes later at a nearby gas station. In the meantime, other officers executed a search warrant at Small’s motel room and found over 50 grams of methamphetamine packaged for resale. Anderson confirmed that he delivered two ounces of methamphetamine to Small and that he had been supplying Small one to two ounces of methamphetamine daily for about a month.

Small was arrested the same day and charged in a separate federal indictment. He pleaded guilty April 17 and was sentenced on August 8 to seven years in federal prison.

The charges against Todd Anderson and Manuel Small were the result of a joint investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force, the Eau Claire Police Department and DEA. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Przybylinski Finn. 

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