Charges: Coon Rapids man had 25 pounds of cocaine from Mexico
A Coon Rapids man has been charged after he was allegedly found to have been in possession of more than 25 pounds of cocaine with the intent to sell it.
Luis Zamier Avila-Lopez, 38, was charged on Friday in Anoka County Court with one count of a first-degree aggravated controlled substance crime and one count of a first-degree controlled substance crime.
On Jan. 26 of this year, members of the West Metro Drug Task Force were investigating a vehicle allegedly bringing a large amount of cocaine into Minnesota from a Mexican supplier.
According to the criminal complaint, a confidential informant told law enforcement that they had met with a man who had arrived in a truck registered to Avila-Lopez and stated he had a large amount of cocaine “on the way to Minnesota.”
The confidential informant also identified Avila-Lopez as the man they had spoken to using photos.
Using a GPS tracking device, law enforcement confirmed that Avila-Lopez’s truck had left his Coon Rapid home and was headed to a delivery location in the parking lot of a Roseville Walmart.
Once he arrived at the parking lot, members of the West Metro Drug Task Force detailed Avila-Lopez. A canine search then confirmed the presence of narcotics in the truck.
A total of five kilograms of cocaine was found and seized from the truck.
That same day, on Jan. 26, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Avila-Lopez’s home. Avila-Lopez’s wife and two children were present.
During the search, law enforcement found and seized nine packages with a total of seven and a half kilograms of cocaine in one of the bedrooms. More than $109,000 was also found in the home.
