Large Cocaine Bust Leads to Rochester Man’s Arrest
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A man is facing first-degree drug charges after investigators uncovered large-scale cocaine sales operating out of a northwest Rochester home.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant last Friday at the residence in connection with the case following repeated surveillance tied to suspected narcotics trafficking.
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Vu Vuong Ly, 46, of Rochester, is charged with first-degree sale of a controlled substance and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted.
Court records show officers began monitoring the residence as early as mid-October 2025 after observing frequent short-term traffic consistent with drug sales. On multiple occasions, police stopped people leaving the home and reportedly recovered cocaine during those contacts.
When officers carried out the search warrant, investigators located Ly inside the residence and took him into custody. In a southeast bedroom, authorities reported finding a black digital scale coated with cocaine residue, packaging materials commonly used for narcotics distribution, a large quantity of suspected cocaine and approximately $1,500 in cash, much of it in $20 bills.
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The suspected cocaine later tested presumptively positive and weighed about 1.09 pounds, according to the complaint.
Court records also show Ly has a prior first-degree controlled substance conviction and was sentenced to just over eight years in prison in 2009. Investigators noted that 10 years had not elapsed since the discharge of that sentence, a factor referenced in the charging documents.
Ly made an initial court appearance Tuesday where bail was set at $200,000 with conditions including remaining law-abiding, no alcohol or controlled substance use, submission to random searches and no possession of firearms.
