A three-month long investigation into drug dealing in downtown St. Paul leads to the arrest of several people.
"Operation Cold Front" focused on an area near downtown St. Paul's Higher Ground homeless shelter following numerous complaints about open air drug sales - particularly fentanyl traffickers.
12 people were arrested. Four have already been charged. St. Paul police sergeant Toy Vixavong says it's always difficult when arresting dangerous suspects.
"Tried to arrest them with the element of surprise," Vixavong explained to WCCO. "They don't know we're coming, and there are different techniques that we use to keep everybody safe. Officers as well as the suspects we arrest. We try to make it safe for everybody."
He says they have seen an increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths, which claimed 180 lives in Ramsey County in 2023, making it the leading cause of overdose fatalities in the county.
The arrests come from a joint effort between St. Paul Police Department and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. Vixavong says officers identified dealers downtown and around a homeless shelter after complaints described the area as an open-air drug marketplace.
"It's a good start for us," says Voxavong. "We made good arrest, we're looking at doing more details down there, (the) downtown area."
Several of those arrested have already been charged and expected in court as early as Thursday.