Man Arrested for Selling Cocaine in Burnsville Parking Lot

A St. Paul man is facing felony drug charges after police say he sold cocaine to an informant in the parking lot of a Burnsville store.

David Chacon Sanchez, 31, is charged with first-degree drug sales, which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Sanchez remains in the Dakota County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He is also being held for immigration officials for possible deportation.

According to the criminal complaint, a confidential informant contacted members of the Dakota County Drug Task Force earlier in June and reported on Sanchez’s drug activity. 

The informant was given $250 in pre-recorded money and met Sanchez in a store parking lot on June 7, followed and observed by a task force agent.

The informant gave the money to Sanchez, who handed over 2.88 grams of cocaine, according to the complaint.

On June 13, the agent gave the same informant $800 in pre-recorded money, then followed as the informant met Sanchez in the same Burnsville parking lot.

Following that transaction, the agent drive toward Sanchez’s car to arrest him. The agent turned on his emergency lights, then saw Sanchez look in his rear-view mirror before speeding away.

The officer activated his siren, but Sanchez continued to flee out of the parking lot, driving past a stop sign and speeding onto a service road, according to the complaint. When Sanchez tried to turn south, his car slid across the road toward the far curb, causing the tires to squeal.

Another squad car showed up to help the agent box in Sanchez’s car and arrest him.

Agents searched Sanchez and found a plastic bag containing 13.84 grams of cocaine, the complaint says.

An omnibus hearing in Sanchez’s case is scheduled July 3 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.