Over 1 pound of Fentanyl Seized on Iron Range

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St. Louis County Sheriff's Office News Release

Incident Date:

07/18/2022

Incident Time:  9:28 A.M.

Incident location: 

Highway 53 south of W. Melrude Road Intersection, Ellsburg Township

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INDIVIDUAL(S) INVOLVED: (Refer to News Media Policy-Rules III A. I Thru 4: Procedures B.1, A thru J & 1; 2b; 3b; g & h; 4a, b, & c)

Name: Trisco Rondell Cooks

Name: Cole Alexander Heyn

Name: Chloe Ceanna Villebrun

Age: 35

Age: 24

Age: 21

Address: Chisholm, MN

Address: Hibbing, MN

Address: Hibbing, MN

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Incident Summary: 

On 07/18/2022, Investigators assigned to the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force (LSVOTF) arrested 3 individuals after a traffic stop and search warrant were executed on a vehicle travelling from the Chicago area to the Iron Range.

The traffic stop took place along Highway 53 in Ellsburg Township at approximately 9:28 A.M., after an ongoing narcotics investigation indicated that TRISCO RONDELL COOKS was transporting illegal narcotics to the Iron Range from the Chicago, Illinois area. At the time of the traffic stop, COOKS was found to be driving a company owned vehicle registered to “We Dat Rentals,” a local business that COOKS owns and operates in the Hibbing and Chisholm area.

Following the traffic stop a search warrant was executed on the vehicle, at which time over 1 pound of suspected fentanyl was found to have been concealed in the vehicle, along with evidence of illegal marijuana use.

COOKS was subsequently arrested and lodged in the St. Louis County Jail with charges pending for 1st degree sales of a controlled substance and importing controlled substances across state borders.

The two other individuals in the vehicle were Identified as COLE ALEXANDER HEYN and CHLOE CEANNA VILLEBRUN. Both HEYN and VILLEBRUN were arrested and booked with charges pending for controlled substance sales and possession.

The LSVOTF would like to thank the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, The Eveleth Police Department K9 team, and the MN BCA for their assistance during this incident.

The Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force (LSVOTF) is the new title recently assigned to the former Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task force (LSDVCTF).

This specific incident was initiated by an investigator assigned to the LSVOTF office in Hibbing, which is part of the large multiagency and cooperative effort that serves all of Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. The LSVOTF consists of members from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office; the Duluth, Hibbing, Virginia, and Superior Police Departments; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), MN National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The task force focuses on comprehensive enforcement of controlled substance laws, seizing illegal firearms, fugitive apprehension, and assisting partner agencies with investigating violent crime within the members’ respective jurisdictions. Funding for the LSVOTF is primarily through a grant from the State of Minnesota, Office of Justice Programs.

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Authority: Sgt. Warren Johnson, St. Louis County Sheriff's Office

Date:                             07/19/2022                             Time: 1243

Additional Information or Update:

 

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