Drugs

A long-term investigation into large-scale cocaine trafficking in central Minnesota has led to a number of arrests and the seizure of a large amount of drugs.

A criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court Friday says a woman reported seeing a disoriented person standing in a ditch near her property.

Rochester police also executed a search warrant in connection with the case and discovered another large stash of methamphetamine on Wednesday.

Criminal Interdiction Unit detectives alerted the Special Enforcement Team to a person with an active arrest warrant in the 1100 block of 6 St. NW.

He became a suspect in the case when he called the woman's cell phone after the deadly drug overdose was discovered.

Rochester police reported finding 7 pounds of the drug during a search of his apartment last October.

Rochester police also reported finding a loaded 9 mm handgun.

The Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Mower County Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint operation that involved the execution of a search warrant on April 22.

The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court earlier this week, says the case stems from a controlled buy conducted by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.

Rochester police conducted the controlled buy earlier this month and executed the search warrant last week.