A 31-year-old Rush City man with an outstanding murder warrant in the sale of fentanyl-laced pills to a man who overdosed is in custody following a traffic stop Thursday morning in Chisago County.
Rey Anthony Tinoco was pulled over in Rush City around 1:50 a.m. Thursday for an "equipment violation" for a broken taillight or expired tabs, said Capt. Derek Anklan, of the Chisago County Sheriff's Office.
The deputy conducting the traffic stop said Tinoco was allegedly intoxicated and noted he had a warrant.
"They weren't blindsided by who this guy was," Anklan said Thursday. "This guy was known to us. They were actively patrolling and happened to find him."
Tinoco was charged in December with third-degree murder for allegedly selling the deadly counterfeit oxycodone pills to a 25-year-old Ham Lake man who overdosed on fentanyl in May 2020.
According to court documents, Tinoco admitted to Anoka County sheriff's deputies last October that he was dealing pills and had been selling to the victim regularly. The county issued a warrant Dec. 8 for one felony count of third-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years and a $40,000 fine.
Tinoco made his first court appearance Thursday morning and is being held in the Chisago County jail.
Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751
