A 37-year-old Minneapolis man faces drug charges after authorities raided a suspected stash house in north Minneapolis' Shingle Creek neighborhood and found 5 pounds of heroin, and cash, guns and ammunition, according to court filings.
The raid Wednesday followed an investigation into the dealings of Alexis Rios Uscanga, whose house in the 5100 block of Russell Avenue N. was overrun by law enforcement officers executing a search warrant, a criminal complaint said.
In the raid, authorities arrested Uscanga inside the house after finding heroin around the residence in several large bags, the complaint said. The drugs weighed about 2,271.84 grams, or 5 pounds, according to authorities.
Uscanga was later charged with two counts of first-degree sale of a controlled substance and a weapons violation. He is being held in lieu of $750,000 bail and is slated to appear Monday in Hennepin County District Court.
Authorities said they believe the home was used as a stash house where drug shipments totaling 2 kilograms at a time were stored before distribution to local dealers.
As heroin has become more abundant, reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the country, authorities say, it has also gotten cheaper. Federal authorities estimated that the average price of a gram of heroin in 2012 was $465, though in recent years the drug has sold for much less in some parts of Minneapolis.
Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter: @StribJany
