Alejandro Lee Lara, 25, Thief River Falls, was sentenced in Morrison County District Court to 39 months in a correctional facility and fined $50 for one felony count of third-degree possession of a controlled substance. One felony count of second-degree sale of a controlled substance was dismissed.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 28, 2021, a trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol was on routine patrol in Motley when he observed a vehicle pass by him that had a “very dark tint.” He stopped the vehicle and identified the passenger as Lara.
While speaking with Lara and the driver, the trooper noted a “strong odor” of marijuana emitting from the inside of the vehicle. Both occupants had bloodshot eyes commonly seen with recent cannabis use, the report states.
The trooper asked both of them to exit the vehicle. He noted “unusual, larger, angular bulges” protruding from the driver’s shirt. He suspected that she was concealing contraband or a weapon under her shirt. He directed her to remove the items from her shirt, at which point she removed a “large, vacuum-sealed bag” of suspected marijuana, according to the complaint.
A search of the vehicle turned up a Zip-lock bag containing a white, powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine. The trooper opened the trunk and allegedly located a duffel bag containing six large bags that field-tested positive for marijuana, along with two glass jars that also field-tested positive for marijuana.
The total weight of the marijuana was more than 13 pounds.
The report states that the trooper also located 100 LSD hits on a blotter paper that field-tested positive for LSD. He also located 97 THC vape cartridges, along with 40 suspected fentanyl pills. The bag of powder field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed 3.6 grams.
According to the complaint, Lara and the driver admitted to purchasing the drugs from a source in the Twin Cities and were given them to sell in the Thief River Falls area. They acknowledged selling drugs together for approximately “two or three months.”
