Mankato Man Charged for Drug Bust During Rochester Traffic Stop

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Mankato man is facing multiple charges following a large drug bust in Rochester. 

See Also: Feds Take Over Case After 9-Pound Drug Bust in Rochester 

The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Friday, says Rochester police made the drug discovery during a traffic stop.

Officers saw an alleged “short term transaction” prior to pulling over the vehicle for turn signal violations, the court document says. 

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Mankato Man Busted With Meth & Fentanyl During Rochester Traffic Stop

The traffic stop occurred shortly before 2:30 Friday morning in the area of 2nd Ave. and 5th St. NW near downtown Rochester. 

42-year-old Hamada Abubakar Wallin was identified as the driver and was ordered out of the vehicle for field sobriety testing due to having bloodshot eyes, the complaint says. 

A K-9 then conducted a sniff of the vehicle and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, the charges say. 

Police then found a lunch box in the vehicle that contained a baggie of methamphetamine that weighed 227.8 grams with packaging and a bag of fentanyl that weighed 2.4 grams with packaging, the complaint says. 

Wallin was taken to the Olmsted County Jail where he submitted a blood sample that was sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension lab for testing.

He admitted to using methamphetamine the day prior to the traffic stop, the complaint states. 

There were other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop. They are not named and the complaint does not say if they were also arrested. 

Wallin is charged with one count each of first-degree drug sales, first-degree drug possession, fifth-degree drug possession and misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance. 

He was released without bail following his first court appearance Friday and is due back in court next month.