A man was caught with heroin, fentanyl, marijuana, MDMA pills and a loaded ghost gun after Saint Paul police watched him conduct hand-to-hand transactions at a gas station, according to the complaint.
Calvin Anthony Washington, 41, faces five felony charges: third-degree drug possession for heroin, third-degree drug possession for narcotic pills, two counts of possessing a firearm or ammunition as a person with a violent crime conviction and first-degree controlled substance crime.
According to the complaint, Saint Paul police were patrolling near a Holiday gas station in the city at about 2:26 a.m. on October 13, 2025, when they saw a white Ford Mustang parked at a pump but not getting gas. Officers watched the vehicle for more than an hour and a half, observing conduct they believed was consistent with drug trafficking.
READ MORE → Ramsey County coverage
The driver, later identified as Washington, repeatedly entered and exited the car and the store without making purchases, drove the Mustang through the car wash and parked again.
Police saw several vehicles and people arrive in the parking lot and interact with Washington. Officers reported seeing multiple people around the trunk of the Mustang and several hand-to-hand transactions. A white Dodge Ram also arrived, and after some interaction, the Mustang left the lot with its headlights off. Officers followed and stopped the Mustang as it entered an on-ramp for Interstate 94.
The Mustang’s driver at that point was a woman who admitted to smoking marijuana. Officers saw unpackaged marijuana in the cup holder and conducted a probable cause search. They found a live 9mm round under the driver’s seat, a large quantity of drugs, including dispensary marijuana, individually packaged marijuana, THC cartridges, THC gummies, MDMA pills, fentanyl, empty plastic bags, a scale, and a 9mm ghost gun with a loaded extended magazine.
Testing showed the pills were MDMA (75 units), the powder was fentanyl (12.52 grams), and there was about 160 grams of marijuana.
The woman told police that Washington had called her to switch vehicles because he thought he was being watched by police. She said she drove to the gas station in her Dodge Ram rental and switched vehicles with Washington. She told officers that the narcotics in the Mustang belonged to Washington but claimed she only knew about the marijuana.
Officers later found Washington driving the Dodge Ram in Minneapolis and took him into custody. He was wearing the same clothing as at the gas station. Police found $3,510 in his wallet and, during a search of the Dodge Ram, found about 152 grams of cannabis, safe keys, multiple suitcases and a receipt for a $100,000 transaction through Cash App.
The complaint says Washington admitted being at the gas station and said he had bags containing “vapes, weed and edibles” and a “black handgun with a clip” in the Mustang, which he said he used for protection while dealing drugs.
Police also found receipts for large bank withdrawals and, while at the law enforcement center, Washington made jail calls asking someone to intercept a business credit card with a $1,000,000 limit that he expected in the mail.
According to the complaint, Washington has an extensive felony conviction history, including possession of a pistol by an ineligible person, third-degree drug convictions and a pending attempted murder charge in Ramsey County. The complaint states he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to his felony record.
The charges were filed October 15 in Ramsey County District Court.
Related MN CRIME Coverage
2 Guns Found in Car, Saint Paul Man Charged After Threats • Saint Paul Man Charged After Meth, Knife Threat at Shelter • Saint Paul Woman Charged After 4.8 Pounds of Meth, Gun Found
Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; Ramsey County Community Corrections operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
