Red Wing Man Charged With Importing Cocaine After Wisconsin Dells Trip

A Red Wing man was stopped returning from Wisconsin Dells with nearly a kilogram of cocaine, counting packaging, after detectives tracked his Jeep by GPS, according to the complaint.

Joshua Paris Tolliver, 44, is charged in Goodhue County District Court with five felonies: importing a controlled substance across state borders, two counts of first-degree drug sale and two counts of first-degree drug possession.

According to the complaint, detectives spent months investigating Tolliver, recording several hand-to-hand drug sales on video and buying nearly 2 ounces of cocaine from him. They put a GPS tracker on his vehicle under a search warrant.

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On Nov. 1, Tolliver left Red Wing at about noon, took Highway 61 toward Interstate 90 and crossed into Wisconsin, stopping near a Nike Outlet store in Wisconsin Dells for 25 to 30 minutes before heading back, the complaint says. Detectives stopped his white Jeep in Red Wing at about 6 p.m. and detained him without incident.

In the Jeep’s hatchback, detectives found a bag holding several bags of marijuana and a grocery bag with two 1-gallon bags inside, according to the complaint. One held powder cocaine and the other suspected crack cocaine. Both later tested positive for cocaine. The powder weighed 481 grams and the crack 501 grams, both with packaging. Detectives also found $1,290 in cash.

A search of his home turned up more than $10,000 in cash, a small amount of suspected ecstasy or fentanyl, more marijuana items, 50 to 100 vape cartridge cases and items commonly used in drug sales, the complaint says.