California Man Arrested in Maple Grove with 12 Pounds of Pot

A California man is facing felony drug charges after police say they caught him outside a Maple Grove hotel with almost 13 pounds of marijuana in his car.

Montry Conrad Souvanthong, 25, of Union City, Calif., is charged with two felonies: fifth-degree drug sales and fifth-degree drug possession, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, signed by Larry Johnson of the Anoka Hennepin Drug Task Force, police learned on July 18 that a California man known as Montry or Conrad was coming to Minnesota to sell 8 pounds of marijuana.

The confidential informant said the man would be arriving late on July 18 and staying at a Maple Grove hotel, and that the sale was to take place in the parking lot of the AMC Arbor Lakes 16 movie theater.

Police confirmed that Souvanthong was registered at the hotel and set up surveillance.

Officers watched as Souvanthong left the hotel carrying a briefcase, which he put in the trunk of his car, according to the complaint. He drove to the theater parking lot, where he met the informant and completed the transaction, the complaint says.

Police stopped the car and asked both the informant and Souvanthong to get out. Inside the car, they found a bag of marijuana, and more marijuana in the trunk. The total weight of the confiscated marijuana was 12.8 pounds, according to the complaint.

Souvanthong made his first appearance in Hennepin County District Court on July 23 and was released on a $3,000 bond.