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Crosby Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearm and Drugs
MINNEAPOLIS—A 32-year-old felon from the northern Minnesota community of Crosby has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and drugs. Zachari Allen Kozar, who was charged on May 14, 2013, entered his plea before United States District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery.
Kozar admitted to possessing a .40-caliber, semi-automatic pistol along with approximately 30 grams of methamphetamine. The firearm and drugs were found under the vehicle’s front passenger seat during a traffic stop on December 26, 2012, near Brainerd, Minnesota.
According to a law enforcement affidavit, Kozar became agitated when a drug-sniffing canine was brought to the scene and the dog alerted police to a controlled substance. Police subsequently executed a search warrant on the vehicle, finding the loaded .40-caliber Steyr Mannlicher firearm in a nylon gun holster, as well as a second .40 caliber magazine, a plastic baggy containing approximately 2.8 grams of crack cocaine, and ten baggies of various amounts of methamphetamine and crack cocaine totaling approximately 32.1 grams.
Kozar was arrested shortly afterward and approximately $896 in U.S. currency was found on his person. Because he is a felon, Kozar is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time. His prior convictions in St. Louis County include two counts of theft of a motor vehicle (1999), fleeing police in a motor vehicle (1999 and 2004), third-degree burglary (1999), damage to property (1999), escape from custody (2001), fifth-degree drug possession (2004 and two counts in 2008), and third-degree drug possession (2009).
Because some of those convictions constitute crimes of violence, Kozar is subject to the federal Armed Career Criminal Act, which mandates a minimum of 15 years in prison for anyone subsequently convicted in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition. For his crimes, Kozar faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison on the gun charge and 40 years for drug possession. Judge Montgomery will determine his sentence at a future hearing.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter.
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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