A Rochester man is charged with first-degree fentanyl distribution after investigators executing a search warrant at his apartment found drugs, drug-packaging materials and more than $10,000 in cash.
Chad Charles Westby, 48, is charged in Olmsted County with first-degree controlled substance crime, second-degree controlled substance crime and two counts of fifth-degree controlled substance crime, according to the criminal complaint.
On Friday, April 3, deputies with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Westby’s apartment in the 100 block of Broadway Ave. N. in Rochester. Investigators found about 0.7 ounces of fentanyl and 0.7 grams of methamphetamine on a nightstand next to the bed.
READ MORE > Rochester coverage
Investigators also found $10,500 in cash, most of it on the bed or in Westby’s pockets, along with numerous cell phones, numerous digital scales and unused small plastic bags.
Law enforcement recognized the fentanyl to be in excess of what a user would possess for personal consumption and determined that Westby possessed the fentanyl with the intent to repackage and distribute it to others.
Court records show Westby was convicted in 2018 of second-degree controlled substance sale in Olmsted County, specifically for selling methamphetamine near a school, park or public housing area. That prior conviction triggers a mandatory sentence of 4 to 40 years in prison if Westby is convicted on the current first-degree charge.
Westby is being held in custody and bail had not been set as of the complaint filing.
