According to the Minnesota State Patrol stopping illicit drugs from getting to their intended destinations via Minnesota?s roads has become an all too common task.This is done in part with the State Patrol?s 15 K-9 teams that are trained to detect the odor of narcotics. If a K-9 trooper stops a vehicle for any violation, they?ll use their dog if they suspect there are drugs present. In February 2018, a trooper stopped a vehicle for an obstructed license plate. In plain sight, the trooper could see bags on the center console and a woman sitting on packaged bags of marijuana. In all, the State Patrol seized 300 pounds of marijuana from that one vehicle .
Drug seizures in general – and marijuana seizures in particular – are clearly trending upward with the State Patrol seizing over 2,600 pounds of marijuana alone in 2017. That number was compared to the 389 pounds seized in all of 2016. In addition to marijuana seizures, 160 pounds of meth, 17 pounds of cocaine, and 14 pounds of heroin were also discovered by Minnesota State Patrol traffic stops.
