A Saint Cloud man is accused of conspiring to sell cocaine in a series of controlled buys a task force set up from January through August 2025, according to a Stearns County complaint.
David Joseph Grayson, who was 41 at the time of the alleged offense, is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree drug sale, a felony that covers 17 grams or more sold within 90 days. The complaint lists up to 40 years in prison and/or a $1 million fine, with a mandatory minimum of 65 months. It was filed Nov. 5 in Stearns County District Court.
The complaint says that as of Nov. 4 he was in custody in the Eau Claire County jail in Wisconsin on a probation violation. Prosecutors asked for a warrant.
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According to the complaint, the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force opened an investigation into Grayson in January 2025 and set up seven controlled buys with a confidential informant.
In the first two buys, on Jan. 22 and March 3, 2025, surveillance saw Grayson get into the informant’s vehicle at an X-PRESS in Saint Cloud for a brief conversation, the complaint says. The informant then turned over cocaine that field tested positive. The BCA lab determined the substances weighed about 86 grams and about 81 grams.
On March 19, the complaint says Grayson told an informant his alleged source of supply would be bringing three ounces of cocaine for $4,500. Surveillance saw an unidentified man arrive in a gray Chevrolet Trax and meet briefly with Grayson before Grayson met the informant again. The lab determined the substance was about 55 grams, indicating cocaine.
On April 11, 2025, the complaint says Grayson told an informant his alleged supplier would bring four ounces of cocaine for $6,000. The lab determined the substance was about 108 grams, indicating cocaine.
On May 29, 2025, the complaint says Grayson came out of the Kelly Inn and got into the informant’s vehicle. In a debrief, the informant told officers the informant paid him and he provided the cocaine. The lab determined the substance was about 140 grams, indicating cocaine.
On or about June 17, 2025, while Grayson was in jail, a woman was to arrange a purchase for the informant from a supplier in the Twin Cities, the complaint says. The informant drove her to Brooklyn Center, where investigators saw her walk toward a white van to meet the alleged supplier. According to the informant, she returned with cocaine. The lab determined the substance was about 101 grams. The complaint says she described the deal during a June 18 jail call from Grayson.
On Aug. 5, 2025, the complaint says an informant reported that Grayson and another person were willing to sell cocaine and a firearm. Surveillance saw Grayson get out of a black Chevrolet Equinox with a bag and hand it to the informant. The informant gave officers a firearm and cocaine. The lab determined the substance was about 139 grams, indicating cocaine.
