(COLUMBIA Co.) A routine traffic stop on a busy stretch of interstate turned into a major drug bust that authorities say likely saved lives in Columbia County.
A Minnesota man is headed to federal prison for 12 years after deputies found nearly a pound of heroin mixed with fentanyl — along with more than $110,000 in cash — hidden inside his vehicle during a stop on Interstate 90/94/39.
Federal prosecutors say Ernest McCurty of Minneapolis was stopped by a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputy on Nov. 7, 2023. During the investigation, deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle and uncovered approximately 394 grams of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, along with large amounts of U.S. currency concealed inside grocery bags…