Minnesota couple facing drug charges after residence search

Two Minnesota residents were taken into custody on the morning of July 1 when deputies from the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team executed a search warrant in Stewartville. The search was conducted as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation according to police reports.

According to media accounts, police entered a residence on Heron Drive Northwest at approximately 8:50 a.m. An ensuing search of the property is said to have led to the discovery and seizure of approximately 45 grams of a substance believed to be marijuana, a bag containing an undisclosed quantity of a substance believed to be cocaine, approximately $500 in currency and several items of drug paraphernalia.

The residence searched was the home of a 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman. They were both taken into custody without incident at the scene. The man has been charged with possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree and selling a controlled substance in the fifth degree. The woman was not immediately charged according to reports. A third suspect, who was not home at the time of the raid, is also expected to face drug charges.

Individuals taken into custody following narcotics searches may feel that they have little choice but to cooperate if police found illegal drugs. However, experienced criminal defense attorneys may advise individuals in such situations to remain silent and make no admissions until a lawyer has studied the search warrant involved and assessed the merits of the probable cause that led a judge to issue it. This is because evidence discovered during police searches may be excluded if officers exceeded boundaries laid down by the issuing judge or the probable cause cited on the warrant application is questionable.