A Columbia Heights felon was arrested after police say he removed five firearms and ammunition from his brother's apartment, just hours after the brother was stopped in Illinois carrying 22 kilos of cocaine.

Anthony Arlington Boucher, 28, faces two counts of felon in possession of a firearm in Ramsey County. A criminal complaint says Boucher has prior convictions for second-degree assault and possession of a short-barreled shotgun that make him ineligible to possess firearms or ammo.

According to the complaint, Boucher's brother, Leonard Christian Jr., was stopped in Illinois on March 26 while transporting 22 kilos of cocaine. Christian had reportedly been on his way to his apartment in Saint Paul when he was intercepted.

Investigators listened to Christian's jail calls and heard him ask someone to go to his apartment and clean it out. That person then posted on social media that they urgently needed a locksmith, according to court documents.

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Officers set up surveillance at Christian's apartment and watched the person let Boucher into the building. Boucher came out carrying shoe boxes and two backpacks. He placed the shoe boxes in a Dodge Journey and put the backpacks in the trunk of his own Chevrolet Trax.

Around 8:20 p.m., Boucher left the area in a vehicle but was stopped and detained moments later.

A search warrant was obtained for Christian's apartment, the Dodge Journey and Boucher's Chevrolet Trax. Inside one of the backpacks that Boucher had placed in his trunk, officers found marijuana. The other backpack contained ammunition and five handguns: a Glock 29, a Smith and Wesson 5.7, a Ruger, a Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm and a Springfield Hellcat.

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Boucher waived his rights and spoke to police. He said he had been on a three-way call with Christian when they discussed retrieving Christian's belongings from the apartment. Boucher said he only wanted to secure Christian's PS5 gaming console and personal items. He admitted he knew there was marijuana in one backpack but denied knowing what was in the other bag.

Boucher faces up to 15 years in prison on each firearms count. He was released from custody on March 30 and is next due in court on April 28.