Traffic stop leads to meth arrests

Three men were arrested last week after a traffic stop led to the discovery of a pound of methamphetamine Friday, June 3.

Driver Mark Arthur Locken, 43, and passengers Donald Richard LaBlanc, 63, and Dean Wayne Olds, 56, were each charged in Carlton County Court Monday with one count of first-degree drug possession, for allegedly having more than 50 grams of meth, a Schedule II controlled substance. Bail was set at $100,000 or $10,000 cash for LaBlanc and $100,000 for Olds and Locken.

According to the criminal complaint, Carlton County deputy Nils Hansen had been advised by the Pine County Sheriff’s Office that a silver Audi 6 would be traveling through Carlton County to Aurora, Minnesota, allegedly transporting a controlled substance.

Hansen stopped the vehicle after observing the driver change lanes without signaling and finding the car was going 74 mph in a 70 mph zone. Additionally, the front passenger, Olds, wasn’t wearing his seat belt properly.

When Hansen approached the vehicle after stopping it, he allegedly smelled marijuana and observed a torch-style lighter and a homemade marijuana pipe. None of the men had a prescription for marijuana.

Law enforcement then conducted a search of the vehicle and Hansen observed all three occupants of the vehicle become extremely nervous.

Law enforcement discovered a concealed compartment near the vehicle’s engine and located a package containing a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and had a field weight of one pound, according to the criminal complaint.

LaBlanc is from Britt, Minnesota. Olds is from Aurora and Locken is from Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota, according to court documents

Locken was previously convicted of felony first-degree controlled substance possession in 2015.