ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 35-year-old man faces felony drug charges after a large amount of fentanyl pills were found inside a hotel room in downtown St. Paul.
Giorgio Baymon, 35, was charged with first-degree possession and first-degree sale of fentanyl after a housekeeper recovered 858 grams of fentanyl pills hidden inside a hotel room, charges said.
According to court records, St. Paul police officers responded to InterContinental Riverfront Hotel on May 2 around 1:30 p.m. to recover suspected drugs found inside a guest’s room.
The housekeeper located two bags of pills stashed behind an ice bucket on a shelf in one of the rooms. Officers said the bags contained an estimated 8,500 fentanyl pills weighing 858 grams or approximately 1.89 pounds, charges said.
Later in the night, Baymon returned to the hotel with another man but ran when he saw the officers. He set off a fire alarm as he fled to a lower level of the hotel. Officers located him in one of the stairwells, and Baymon stomped on his phone before he was arrested, according to court records.
Law enforcement stopped the man Baymon entered the hotel with, along with the woman with him, who told police they drove down from St. Cloud to purchase the pills, charges allege.
Authorities say Baymon checked into the hotel on May 1 using his name. He was seen on surveillance video carrying a bag similar to the one recovered by housekeeping and officers said they found a hotel key card on him when he was arrested.
Baymon allegedly denied staying in the hotel and claimed he rented it for his cousin on Priceline, charges read.
Baymon is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday morning. He remains in custody at Ramsey County Jail.