Burnsville Hotel Bust Leads to 1st-Degree Drug Charges
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 44-year-old man faces multiple drug charges after investigators say meth and cocaine were found during a Dakota County trafficking investigation.
The case stems from late January 2026, when detectives with the West Metro Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a hotel in the 14300 block of Nicollet Court in Burnsville.
Robert Burns Jr., of Saint Cloud, is charged with four counts of first-degree controlled substance crime, including two counts alleging the sale of methamphetamine and cocaine and two counts alleging possession of large quantities of both substances.
Court records show Burns had been identified as the target of an investigation into suspected narcotics distribution. At about 2:10 p.m., detectives observed Burns leave the hotel and place one bag in the back seat and another in the trunk of a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee with Missouri license plates before he returned inside the hotel.
About 10 minutes later, Burns exited the hotel again and detectives approached him outside the vehicle, taking him into custody shortly after.
READ MORE > Dakota County coverage
On Burns, investigators recovered about $7,000 in cash along with two cell phones. Detectives used a key card found on Burns to enter the hotel room he’d been using, but no evidence was located inside, the court documents say.
Investigators then searched the Jeep, where they found a red backpack in the rear seat containing a digital scale and a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing approximately 219.6 grams.
Inside the same backpack, agents also located multiple packages concealed in nylons that field-tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of about 242.78 grams. Mail bearing Burns’ name was also recovered from the vehicle.
READ MORE > Burnsville coverage
According to the complaint, Burns admitted he rented the Jeep and told investigators he possessed the bags found inside.
Prosecutors allege the quantities involved meet the threshold for first-degree controlled substance crimes under Minnesota law, which applies when sales or possession involve 100 grams or more or at least 500 dosage units of a controlled substance within a 90-day period.
Each count carries a potential sentence ranging from 65 months to 40 years in prison and fines that can reach up to $1 million if convicted. Burns was ordered held as the case moves forward in Dakota County District Court. His history in Minnesota includes only traffic- or parking-related offenses.
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