SW Minneapolis Drug Raid Nets 40 Pounds of Meth

A Southwest Minneapolis man is facing as much as 30 years in prison after a police raid on Friday allegedly netted a large stash of illegal narcotics.

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, Heriberto Penaloza-Romero was charged with one count of First Degre Posession of a Controlled Substance, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Penaloza-Romero was arrested after police executed a search warrant on his apartment on the 3300 block of Colfax Ave South on Friday, Feb. 15.

According to a police report detailing the raid, Penaloza-Romero left his apartment around 1:30 p.m. in the company of a 21-year old Edina man and a 46-year old Fresno, California man. Officers moved in to search the building, and arrested the trio a short distance away. The raid uncovered a locked file cabinet containing 40 pounds of methamphetamine, equivalent to tens of thousands of doses.

According to the criminal complaint, police had been watching the defendant for some time, when officers convinced Penaloza-Romero's girlfriend to let them search her home.

Inside, the criminal complaint says, police found a jacket belonging to the man. In its pockets, police say, they found a large wad of cash, wrapped in rubber bands, and keys to the file cabinet allegedly containing the methamphetamine and Penaloza-Romero's apartment.

An initial hearing date has not been set in Penaloza-Romero's case.