Local and federal authorities seized more than 20 pounds of marijuana and arrested one Austin man in a weekend drug bust.

Monday, August 02, 1999

Local and federal authorities seized more than 20 pounds of marijuana and arrested one Austin man in a weekend drug bust.

Rocky Padilla, 25, is in Mower County jail today awaiting drug charges following his arrest at shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday. According to reports, authorities found 27 pounds of marijuana at his home at 501 6th Ave. SE, where he lives with his parents. According to a Mower County Sheriff’s Department detective, the street value of the marijuana is between $60-80,000.

The arrest was a result of a collaboration between the sheriff’s department, the Austin Police Department, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Southeast Minnesota Narcotics Task Force and the United States Postal Service. All told, more than a dozen officers were present at the time of the arrest, including the local Special Incident Response Team (SIRT), which was used because "you never know what you’re getting into," Sheriff Barry Simonson said.

The investigation into Padilla began in St. Paul, officials said, where post office narcotics dogs hit on a package addressed to Padilla. After a search warrant was secured, the package was checked and found to contain 25 pounds of marijuana. The package was en route from Zapata, Texas, with Pedro Garcia, Box 5513 listed as the return addressee, though the sheriff’s detective said the addressee was likely a false name.

Authorities transported the package to Austin, where the arrest operation was arranged. A letter carrier delivered the package to 503 1/2 6th Ave. SE, next door to the Padilla residence. Shortly after the letter carrier left, reports said authorities observed Padilla leave the 501 address, pick up the package and return home, giving authorities just cause to enter and arrest Padilla.

Once inside, authorities seized 2 additional pounds of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, including scales used to weigh the drugs.

Simonson called the arrest the most significant drug arrest in the county since Adan and Edan Canales were arrested in a similar post office sting in Waltham, in which the brothers received 2 pounds of cocaine hidden in a talking Barney doll on May 5, 1998.

After his arrest, authorities discovered Padilla had a warrant out for his arrest for another narcotics charge in Michigan, which has refused to extradite him.