Patrol deputies with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office say a routine traffic stop in north Minneapolis last week turned into a sizable drug bust, after a driver allegedly blew through a stop sign at Oliver Avenue and Lowry Avenue North. Inside the vehicle, deputies reported finding multiple baggies of suspected narcotics, methadone pills and more than $3,000 in cash. The driver, whose license was revoked, was taken into custody.
According to a Facebook post by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office published May 16, patrol deputies photographed the evidence at the scene, described what they recovered and noted the suspect's criminal history. The post serves as the office's public account of the stop and includes several photos of the seized drugs and cash.
What deputies recovered
The sheriff's post describes the haul as nearly one-third of a pound of suspected cocaine, roughly 150 grams, packaged in multiple small baggies. Deputies also reported seizing methadone pills and more than $3,000 in cash, with photos showing the items laid out on a patrol vehicle.
Where this fits
The stop comes amid a run of large narcotics interdictions around the Twin Cities this spring. Earlier this month, a massive fentanyl bust by the West Metro Drug Task Force netted roughly two kilograms of suspected fentanyl, and the Star Tribune has documented the sheriff's intensified drug interdiction efforts and the broader fentanyl crisis in Hennepin County.
Suspect background and custody
The sheriff's Facebook post states that the driver has prior felony convictions, including attempted murder, first-degree burglary and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, with convictions listed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Deputies say the suspect was booked into custody, and the post notes again that the driver's license had been revoked.
Legal threshold and what comes next
Under Minnesota law, possession of 50 grams or more of cocaine is a first-degree controlled substance crime and can carry lengthy prison terms. The amount described in the sheriff's post, about 150 grams, would exceed that statutory threshold, according to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 152. Prosecutors typically review the evidence before filing formal charges, and the sheriff's office did not include information in the post about any formal charges at the time of publication.
