Redwood Falls man found guilty of controlled substance felony

OLIVIA, Minn. (KEYC) -A Redwood Falls man has been found guilty of a controlled substance felony.

According to a release, Wesley Lemar Andreasen, 20, of Redwood Falls, MN, was found guilty of a Felony Controlled Substance Crime in the Fifth Degree.

Renville County Attorney Kelsie Kingstrom prosecuted the case.

According to the criminal complaint and the testimony at trial, Mr. Andreasen was driving through the city of Fairfax when his vehicle was stopped.

During the search of his vehicle, a baggie of small blue pills, known to law enforcement as oxycodone or generic Percocet, was found.

Mr. Andreasen and three other passengers had purchased the pills in the Twin Cities, believing them to be oxycodone.

After testing was completed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the pills were then discovered to be fentanyl.

There was no oxycodone located among the pills.

According to the release. the jury found Andreasen guilty of possessing the pills, notwithstanding the other passengers.

“The amount of cases I prosecute where the substance ends up being something totally different than what the person believed it to be is staggering,” stated County Attorney Kingstrom. “Any controlled substance taken without direction of a medical professional is extremely dangerous, which is why they are ‘controlled’ by the State of Minnesota. Mr. Andreasen and his passengers were extremely lucky that a felony conviction is all that came out of this case, and not a funeral.”

Andreasen will be sentenced on April 27, 2023 at the Renville County Courthouse.