3 Charged After Suitcases Packed With Meth Found in Saint Paul Home
BY MN CRIME STAFF
Three men are facing charges after investigators tied them to the delivery and storage of around 100 pounds of methamphetamine at a Saint Paul home last week.
The massive bust concluded what authorities say was a long-running investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in the United States.
Rosario Salas Fierro, 29, his brother, 30-year-old Jose Cesar Salas Fierro, and 27-year-old Grayson Joseph Madrigal each face a first-degree controlled substance charge for possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine while aiding and abetting one another. The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 65 months in prison and a maximum of 40 years if they’re convicted.
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According to three separate complaints, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team spent about 1.5 years investigating the group using surveillance, confidential informants and pole camera video. A silver 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee registered to Rosario Salas Fierro was identified early in the investigation as a suspected load vehicle after investigators noted it routinely parked outside an address on the 200 block of Oxford Street North in Saint Paul.
Rosario had lived at the home with his brother before moving to West St. Paul, but he continued returning to pick him up on weekdays. Investigators also documented him driving a black 2011 Infiniti EX35. A confidential informant familiar with the operation told investigators that a large shipment had been delivered to the Oxford home in Feb. 2025 and that another delivery was expected in early December involving the same people.
On Dec. 4 at 9:35 p.m., pole camera video showed the Infiniti pull into the alley behind the Oxford home. Madrigal pulled in behind it in a silver 2001 Volvo S80. Video captured Rosario carrying a large suitcase taken from the Volvo’s trunk into the backyard while Madrigal carried a medium duffel bag. At 9:36 p.m. the Jeep arrived. By 9:38 p.m. all three men came back out of the backyard and walked to their vehicles. The Infiniti and Volvo left while the Jeep remained behind the house.
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Investigators obtained a search warrant for the house and all three vehicles. On Dec. 5 around 1:55 p.m., officers forced entry after no one answered the door. They found the large suitcase and duffel bag outside the bedroom identified as belonging to Jose Cesar Salas Fierro. Inside were 100 one-pound bags that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
At about 4:30 p.m. that afternoon, investigators located the Infiniti at a Minneapolis job site and followed it until it stopped about three blocks from the Oxford address. Officers pulled it over and identified Rosario as the driver and Jose Cesar as the passenger.
In a post-Miranda interview, Rosario admitted he picked up, transported and stored the drugs. He told investigators he expected to be paid $3,000 and said he had done similar work in the past. He said a contact in Mexico directed him to a truck stop in Inver Grove Heights where he picked up the shipment, and that he went there with his brother and Madrigal. Rosario said he carried the large suitcase into the Oxford home while Madrigal carried the duffel bag. He said his brother did not know what the bags contained at first but realized it once they returned home. He also said both his brother and Madrigal were supposed to be paid.
Jose Cesar initially denied involvement and claimed he did not leave the house on the night of Dec. 4, but when confronted with the surveillance evidence he said the bags did not belong to him. When an investigator explained that storing the drugs was still illegal, he responded, “Okay.”
Madrigal was arrested on Monday, Dec. 8 around 7:30 a.m. outside his Maplewood apartment after investigators saw him getting into the same Volvo recorded during the drop-off. He declined to speak with investigators, according to the court documents.
All three men remain charged with first-degree possession and aiding and abetting. Each faces a mandatory minimum of 65 months in prison and up to 40 years if convicted. Authorities have not yet released additional details about the broader investigation or any other expected charges.
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