Minnesota State Patrol seized 28 pounds of methamphetamines during a traffic stop in Freeborn County on May 20. Two men were detained as a result of the seizure. Police estimate that the drugs have a street value between $196,000 and $280,000.
Officers initially pulled over the vehicle because it didn’t have a front license plate. When troopers approached the men in the vehicle, they noted that they acted nervously. One trooper noted that one man’s heartbeat was noticeable through his shirt. When asked where they were going, the men replied that they were returning from a vehicle auction in New Mexico and hadn’t been able to stop to sleep.
Upon visibly searching the vehicle, troopers saw that a large cooler and several shoe boxes were present. These items seemed to be inconsistent with a road trip. A canine then sniffed around the vehicle and alerted the police to the presence of the drugs. Police found 22 packages in the cooler that contained methamphetamines. The men were taken in on drug charges and booked in a local jail. One of the men had previously been charged in 2013 with drug possession with the intent to distribute.
Drug charges in Minnesota are taken very seriously by the court system. Those with previous drug convictions may face a mandatory sentence in prison. Because of the severity of the charges, it’s important that a defendant receive fair representation to ensure their rights weren’t violated during the proceedings. In this case, a lawyer might try to show that the men allegedly acting nervously wasn’t enough cause for the search and seizure. If the court rules that the search was illegal, the drugs found during the search may be deemed inadmissible in court.