On or about January 17, 2026, officers with the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department responded to the Grand Casino Mille Lacs, located in Onamia, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, on a report of suspected drugs being found on the premises. The officers arrived at the casino and spoke with casino security, and were given a clear plastic bag that contained three smaller baggies within. Each of the baggies contained a white powdery substance which the officers suspected to be fentanyl. Security staff advised that they had identified the possessor of the baggie as EMILY ROSE PREMO [DOB REDACTED]. The officers and security staff reviewed surveillance video from inside the casino.
In the video, one officer was able to identify PREMO visually due to prior law enforcement contacts. The video depicts PREMO standing near the fountain drink machine in the High Stakes Room. As PREMO turned to face another individual, the small plastic baggie can be seen falling from the backpack that PREMO was wearing and onto the floor. PREMO then can be seen leaving the area and no other persons had any contact with the fallen baggie until casino security can be seen retrieving it. Security staff informed the officer that PREMO was no longer on the premises, but was scheduled to be there the following day.
The officers returned to the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department and field-tested the suspected fentanyl, which returned a positive test. The substance weighed approximately 1.3 grams including packaging. The officers returned to the casino the following day and spoke with PREMO about the substance. PREMO acknowledged being at the casino the prior day, but denied knowing about the substance falling from her backpack. PREMO stated that it could have belonged to her boyfriend, Male-1, an adult male fully identified in police reports.
PREMO did acknowledge that the backpack belonged to her and that she had last used narcotics approximately one week prior. PREMO was previously convicted of a petty misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia in May of 2022, and of Controlled Substance Crime in the Fifth Degree in 2009. On March 30, 2026, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension completed forensic testing of the substances. The report indicates that the substances were confirmed to contain fentanyl, and the total weight of the substances was 0.258 grams.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 609.49, intentional failure to appear for duly scheduled court appearances may result in additional criminal charges, and in addition to any arrest warrant that may otherwise be issued by the Court.
