Three men have been arrested in a Washington County Narcotics Task Force probe in Forest Lake. Authorities also seized 62 pounds of khat, a leafy controlled substance narcotic, during a joint effort with the Forest Lake Police Department.
The drugs were seized and the arrests were made at 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday at the UPS Store, 2009 W. Broadway Ave. where officers from the two police agencies converged.
During the arrest, police recovered 62 pounds of the drug and found additional boxes containing the drug in a rented Ford Explorer the three men were driving. The khat had been packed in 225 bundles making up the 62 pounds, authorities said.
Chief of Police Clark Quiring said authorities believe the Forest Lake store was being used as a drop point for illegal drugs that are being smuggled into the country.
Quiring said the drugs recovered in Forest Lake on Tuesday had street value ranging in price from $8000 to nearly $12,000.
“Certainly, this is a pipeline to downtown Minneapolis,” Quiring said. “They are using our community as a passing zone.”
The three men arrested are all from Minneapolis.
•Abdimajid Said, 33, of 1819 Elliot Ave. S.
•Abdikarin M. Suleiman, 26, of 1600 S. 6th St.
•Jamal M. Ibrahim, 28, of 2500 Blaisdell Ave. S.
All three were booked in the Washington County Jail, Stillwater, on probable cause of felony fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.
Khat is a leafy substance that is grown largely in Eastern Africa. Police said that the leaves are harvested, wrapped in banana leaves and shipped in bundles to the West. In many cases in the past, Quiring said, authorities in the United States have intercepted drugs that were shipped from England.
The arrests were made without incident and authorities received cooperation from store employees, Quiring said.
The investigation was carried out by two members of the drug task force who were assisted by four Forest Lake officers, Quiring said.
Quiring said it is possible that the other boxes of drugs found in the vehicle had been picked up earlier in the day from other stores.