WORTHINGTON — A Worthington traffic stop resulted in felony drug possession and sale charges against two individuals after local law enforcement reportedly located 281 grams of oxycodone pills in their vehicle.
Diallo Hunter, 24, of St. Paul, and Alyssia Quijano, 22, of Brooklyn Center were pulled over in a rental vehicle while passing through a roundabout in Worthington after a local officer allegedly saw their vehicle cross the fog line. Hunter, the driver, reportedly did not have a driver’s license or ID card on his person. Quijano provided her driver’s license to the officer.
After being asked to exit the vehicle, Hunter stated the car was a rental. They were driving to Sioux City, Iowa, because a family friend had cancer and they planned to stay a couple of days.
However, when the officer questioned Quijano, she reportedly said there was a family emergency and that they would only be staying the night.
When asked, Hunter responded there was nothing illegal in the vehicle and declined the officer's request to search. A K9 unit arrived on the scene and conducted an exterior sniff, reportedly alerting officers to the presence of a controlled substance. Hunter was again asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, and he stated that there was a folded up dollar bill that contained cocaine near the driver's seat.
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During a search of the vehicle, the folded dollar bill was located along with a cloth bag containing three oxycodone pills, commonly used as counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. According to the complaint, a backpack was located in the trunk of the car containing a pill bottle full of approximately 151 clonazepam pills, a schedule four narcotic. Hunter stated that the pills belong to a family member. He was placed under arrest and seated in the squad car.
Behind the plastic panel under the radio officers reportedly located a large Ziploc bag surrounded by scented dryer sheets which contained a large quantity of Oxycodone pills. It was later estimated that approximately 2,500 pills were found.
Quiijano was also placed under arrest. Both are charged with first-degree drug sale, second-degree drug possession, and fifth-degree drug possession. Hunter faces an additional charge of fifth-degree drug possession, for the .25 grams of cocaine.
Both were transferred to the Nobles County Jail, with initial court appearances scheduled for April 11.
If convicted both face a maximum sentence of 40 years imprisonment and/or a $1 million fine on the drug sale charge. Second-degree drug possession carries a maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment, a $5,000 fine or both, and fifth degree drug possession carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, a $10,000 fine or both.
Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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