Reportedly, there were at least 19 fatal drug overdoses in the St. Cloud area in the past year. Investigators say that most of the deaths were associated with drugs laced with fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic more powerful than heroin. Following a series of recent events, a 34-year-old Minnesota man was taken into police custody and charged with fentanyl drug crimes.
Investigators say that the man initially caught their attention when police officers witnessed a vehicle pull up alongside another car. The officers pulled the other car over in a traffic stop shortly thereafter. They claim to have found counterfeit pills in the car that were laced with fentanyl and say the driver of the car told them that the man in question had sold the individual the pills.
Minnesota police searched several locations
Investigators later conducted several searches, including a storage unit that the man they later arrested was said to have been renting. They also searched his residence and his backpack. All three locations reportedly contained either large amounts of cash or substances that appeared to be illegal drugs.
Prosecutors have requested an aggravated sentence be applied should a conviction be secured, stating that they believe the evidence shows that the defendant was a leader in a highly sophisticated fentanyl drug distribution operation in St. Cloud and several other cities. The man is also accused of lying to the police about his identity. The ultimate outcome of cases like this often hinges upon the type of defense a person accused of drug crimes is able to present in court, which is why most accused individuals request to meet with an experienced criminal defense attorney soon after an arrest has taken place.
