The Rochester Police Department began investigating into the trafficking of “M30 pills” earlier this year, resulting in the arrest of a Rochester man.
M30 pills are counterfeit Oxycodone pills laced with suspected fentanyl.
According to RPD, information was collected regarding transportation of a large quantity of these M30 pills to Rochester from the Phoenix, Arizona area.
On July 15, the RPD Criminal Interdiction Unit, with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Central and Southeast MN Violent Crimes Enforcement Teams conducted a traffic stop as part of a search warrant on Interstate 35 north of Interstate 90. The traffic stop yielded a fake identification card, a loaded firearm, 80 rounds of ammunition, cocaine, marijuana, and counterfeit Oxycodone pills testing positive for fentanyl.
On July 18, additional search warrants related to the investigation were served on vehicles and residences in northwest and southeast Rochester where additional narcotics were discovered.
One of the residences was located in the 2800 block of Riverwood Ln NW, where 7.18 pounds of the counterfeit M30 Oxycodone pills testing positive for fentanyl were seized.
This weight amounts to approximately 36,000 pills and each one of these pills had the potential to cause a deadly overdose.
Around 4 p.m. on the same day, John Ask, 46, from Rochester, was arrested in this case and awaits arraignment in the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center for 1st Degree Possession and 1st Degree Sale of Narcotics related charges.
This remains an ongoing investigation and additional arrests are anticipated.
Tags: Arrests Cocaine Counterfeit Oxy Drug Trafficking DTO Fentanyl M30 Marijuana Opioid Crisis Oxycodone Weapons Involved
