Apple Valley Man Accused In Drug Bust: County Attorney

APPLE VALLEY, MN—An Apple Valley man is facing charges after officers found approximately 13 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl in a storage locker while arresting him in a drug bust, according to a Friday news release from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.

Alphonse Latrese Herron, Jr., 34 of Apple Valley was charged with three counts of first degree aggravated controlled substance crime, the county attorney said.

The news release alleged that Herron intended to sell the drugs.

Herron made his first court appearance late Friday. His bail was set to $1 million without conditions. Herron's next court date is scheduled for March 10, the county attorney said.

According to the county attorney, agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arranged to purchase methamphetamine from Herron through an informant. Herron had agreed to sell five pounds of methamphetamine to the informant for $20,000 on Thursday, the county attorney said.

Herron parked next to the informant, then the informant gave Herron $5,000 in cash, made to look like $20,000, the county attorney said. Herron gave the informant approximately five pounds of methamphetamine and left, the county attorney said.

Minnesota State Patrol then stopped Herron shortly afterwards, and found the $5,000 cash and two cell phones while searching Herron and his car, the county attorney said.

After getting a search warrant for Herron’s residence in Apple Valley, officials found two high and electronic money counters, suspected marijuana and $10,000 in cash, the county attorney said.

Officers then searched a storage unit that they said Herron stopped at before meeting the informant, which contained a safe. The keys to both the storage unit and the safe were found on Herron’s keychain, the county attorney said.

The county attorney said that inside the safe, officers found approximately one pound of suspected cocaine, nine pounds of methamphetamine, three pounds of fentanyl, 6,300 pills suspected to contain fentanyl, a pistol and $140,000.

Officers said that Herron admitted that he sells “a lot” of methamphetamine, and that he buys it from California, according to the county attorney.

All suspected drugs are being tested by the B.C.A..