Drug Task Force Takes Over 3,000 Narcotic Pills Off Streets in Bust
GRAND PORTAGE – NEWS – On March 2, 2018, John Edward Heinonen, 60, of Thunder Bay, ON, was arrested by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the United States Border Patrol and charged with 1st Degree Drug Possession. The arrest was made after Heinonen picked up a package in Grand Portage, MN, that contained approximately 3,040 non-prescribed, narcotic pills.
The arrest was a result of an operation between the Cook County Drug Task Force, which includes the Sheriff’s Office, US Border Patrol, MN State Patrol and MN DNR Conservation Officers, in cooperation with Homeland Security Investigations.
“I commend the efforts of our CCSO investigator and the Cook County Drug Task Force,” said Sheriff Pat Eliasen. “This is a significant interception; we are pleased to take these pills off the streets.”
Heinonen has now been released after posting $100,000 bail. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office is also working with law enforcement partners in Canada on this case.
