The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office reported that a raid in north Minneapolis last week netted over 17 pounds of cocaine and three firearms, one of which had been previously reported stolen out of Pine County, Minn.
The sheriff’s office said that the target of the “knock and announce” warrant, Luis Fernando Cervantes, 37, was present and was taken into custody without issue.
Court documents specify that the warrant was executed on April 11 at a residence on the 3700 block of Irving Avenue North. The sheriff indicated that the seizure and arrest were part of an ongoing weapons and narcotics investigation.
In addition to the cocaine and three firearms, law enforcement also recovered $27,000 in cash, ammunition, three jars of marijuana, and a trash bag full of drug packaging materials which matched the “Monkey” moniker packaging on seven kilograms of the cocaine that had been pressed into bricks.
Cervantes has been charged with felony counts of first-degree aggravated controlled substance crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Cervantes has a 2017 conviction on felony first-degree drug possession involving 25 grams or more of methamphetamine, cocaine, and/or heroin which prohibits him from possessing firearms. In that case, Cervantes was sentenced to 62 months in prison in a downward departure from sentencing guidelines by Hennepin County Judge Kerry Meyer. Under Minnesota sentencing rules, Cervantes was only required to serve 41 months, or two-thirds, of the sentence incarcerated. Several other felony drug charges were dismissed in the case as part of a plea deal.
The criminal complaint in the new drug case states that the quantity and manner of packaging, in addition to cellphone records obtained by investigators, indicate that Cervantes “holds a high position in the drug distribution hierarchy.”
The operation was conducted by the Hennepin County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) and Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF).
Cervantes remains in custody with bail set at $1 million. His next court hearing is scheduled for June 1.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
