Bemidji, Remer residents charged in marijuana bust
Two residents of Bemidji and one resident of Remer were charged in Cass County District Court Monday with felony controlled substance crimes.
Melissa S. Delaney, 28, and Justin Michael Best, 33, both of Bemidji, were each charged with felony fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance under theory of liability of crime of another.
Robert Linwood Gaskins, 52, of Remer, was charged with two felonies: fifth-degree sale of a controlled substance and fifth-degree possession of not a small amount of marijuana.
According to the criminal complaints:
At about 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11, the Cass County Sheriff's Office received information from a citizen saying that Gaskins would be selling narcotics sale that day in parking lots at Walker City Park, the Walker Hardees or Northern Lights Casino. The caller reported that Gaskins was leaving his home at about 10 a.m. in a blue 1995 Plymouth Voyager Sport van.
Law enforcement officers set up surveillance and saw the van pull into the Northern Lights lot with three occupants in it and stop near where the investigator was parked. The sale took place in front of the investigator, and Best and Delaney left in a white Buick Century. The investigator relayed the information and officers made felony stops of both vehicles.
In the Buick, driven by Best with Delaney as passenger, there was a backpack with 68.1 grams of marijuana. Gaskin had $600 in cash.
All three were arrested and taken to Cass County Jail.
A search warrant was issued for Gaskins' home where officers discovered a marijuana growing operation, as well as bags of marijuana. Officers seized 225 grams of marijuana at the residence and $1,213 in cash.
The arrests were a result of an investigation underway by the Cass County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force and Walker Police Department.