Guilty Plea for Rochester Man Charged in Traffic Stop Drug Bust

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man has entered a plea agreement Thursday to settle charges filed against him earlier this year in connection to a drug bust. 

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Court documents say the drug bust was prompted by a traffic stop. A Rochester Police officer stopped the vehicle after seeing it commit a traffic violation and ran the driver, identified as 24-year-old Luke Benson Giwa, through field sobriety testing after suspecting him of impaired driving. 

Giwa reportedly admitted to having drugs in the vehicle and revealed a baggie containing 106 grams of suspected marijuana. A search of Giwa at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center led to the discovery of 9.4 grams of suspected cocaine and 125 M30 pills police suspect to be laced with fentanyl, the police report says. 

Giwa was charged with a count of felony third-degree drug possession, two counts of felony fifth-degree drug possession and two gross-misdemeanor DWI counts. Thursday’s plea agreement calls for Giwa to plead guilty to the third-degree drug charge and one of the  DWI charges. 

In exchange, the prosecution agreed to dismiss the other charges and drop an unrelated case in which Giwa is charged with felony fifth-degree drug possession. The State agreed to cap their sentencing argument to 34 months in prison in the plea deal. 

Giwa’s attorney plans to ask for a downward sentencing departure. The sides will argue the length of sentence for DWI charge and the sentencing terms for both convictions during a hearing set for November 27.