Drug Seizure Leads to 9 Felony Counts in Minneapolis Traffic Stop
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Saint Paul man is facing nine felony charges after deputies uncovered large quantities of cocaine and prescription pills during a traffic stop in north Minneapolis.
According to the criminal complaint, the case stems from a Nov. 18, 2025, stop near Penn Avenue North and 26th Avenue North.
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Deputies on routine patrol observed a black Ford Explorer traveling north with a passenger-side headlight out and extensive cracking across the front windshield. After initiating a traffic stop, deputies reported smelling raw marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.
The driver was identified as Sidney Abram Jackson, 37. While retrieving his license and insurance information, deputies say Jackson opened a small backpack positioned between the driver and passenger seats, allowing them to see packaging consistent with marijuana in plain view. Jackson acknowledged there was marijuana in the vehicle and then threw the backpack into the rear cargo area, the court documents say.
Deputies advised Jackson the vehicle would be searched due to improper transportation of marijuana. Jackson refused to exit the vehicle and was pulled out by deputies, according to the complaint.
Inside the backpack, deputies located marijuana, suspected narcotics, unused marijuana packaging and a digital scale. A further search of the vehicle led deputies to a “Supreme” brand duffle bag containing numerous controlled substances and items associated with drug distribution.
The duffle bag contained an empty bottle of Promethazine Hydrochloride and Codeine Phosphate Oral Solution, commonly referred to as “lean” when used illicitly, a clear baggie containing 7.98 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and 11 pill bottles with no legible labels. The pill bottles contained oxycodone hydrochloride, Adderall and alprazolam pills in varying quantities and weights.
Deputies also recovered white powder that field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed 50.89 grams, a box of clear plastic baggies, marijuana residue covering the interior lining of the bag, packages of marijuana, multiple cell phones and a document bearing Jackson’s name and address. Three additional cell phones were located elsewhere in the vehicle.
During a search incident to arrest, deputies found $5,061 in cash in Jackson’s pants pocket in various denominations and a small empty bottle suspected to have contained promethazine.
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Investigators later confirmed through the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy Prescription Monitoring Program that Jackson did not have prescriptions for any of the controlled substances found. The complaint states Jackson was in possession of 42 dosage units, or 6.14 grams, of oxycodone, 85 dosage units, or 30.57 grams, of Adderall and 409 dosage units, or 107.42 grams, of alprazolam, in addition to cocaine, mushrooms and marijuana.
Based on the quantity of drugs recovered, the presence of multiple cell phones, packaging materials, a digital scale and cash in various denominations, investigators concluded the evidence showed indicia of controlled substance sales.
Jackson is charged with nine felony counts, including first-degree sale of 17 grams or more of cocaine within a 90-day period, first-degree possession of 50 grams or more of cocaine, first-degree sale of 50 grams or more of a narcotic other than cocaine, heroin, fentanyl or methamphetamine involving alprazolam and second-degree possession of 50 grams or more of that same category of narcotic. Additional counts allege second-degree sale of amphetamine-based substances within a 90-day period, third-degree sale of a narcotic involving oxycodone, fourth-degree possession of a Schedule II substance with intent to sell involving Adderall and two fifth-degree possession counts involving oxycodone and psilocybin mushrooms.
Several of the first-degree charges carry maximum penalties of up to 30 years in prison and fines ranging from $300,000 to $1 million if convicted.
Prosecutors requested the complaint be issued as a warrant, citing the amount of controlled substances recovered, the evidence of drug sales and Jackson’s legal status at the time of the alleged offenses. Court records show Jackson pleaded guilty on Sept. 22, 2025, to felony possession of ammunition by a prohibited person in a separate Ramsey County case and was awaiting sentencing when the Nov. 18 drug stop occurred.
According to the complaint, it does not appear the court, attorneys or conditional release officers were aware of the Nov. 18 incident when key filings were made in the Ramsey County case. The pre-sentence investigation was filed Nov. 17, 2025, one day before the traffic stop, and the defense motion seeking a downward dispositional departure was e-filed earlier on Nov. 18, hours before Jackson was arrested. Deputies’ reports in the Hennepin County case were not finalized until Nov. 21, 2025, the same day sentencing occurred in the Ramsey County matter.
As a result, Jackson was released from custody in the Hennepin County case prior to formal charging on Nov. 20, 2025, after the 36-hour hold expired. On Nov. 21, 2025, the Ramsey County court granted Jackson a downward dispositional departure and placed him on probation in the ammunition case.
Jackson’s criminal history also includes a 2010 Washington County conviction for first-degree aggravated robbery, a crime of violence that permanently prohibits him from possessing firearms or ammunition under Minnesota law. The Hennepin County drug case remains pending.
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