Nearly 10 Pounds of Meth, Two Guns Seized in Inver Grove Heights Residence
Booking photo of Danny Zaccardi, Dakota County Jail
Published: February 7th, 2026
Inver Grove Heights, MN — An Inver Grove Heights man is facing two first-degree controlled substance charges after investigators seized nearly 10 pounds of methamphetamine and two firearms during a search warrant earlier this month.
According to charging documents, agents with the Washington County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at approximately 1:20 p.m. on Feb. 3 at a residence in the 3700 block of 78th Street East in Inver Grove Heights, Dakota County. Three people, a woman and two men, were inside the residence at the time of the search, including 62-year-old Danny Gene Zaccardi. No other occupants were located.
Investigators say the woman exited a downstairs bedroom while Zaccardi was on the downstairs landing. Agents searched the bedroom and believed it was shared by Zaccardi and the woman. Inside the room, agents located motor vehicle registration documents and a cellphone belonging to Zaccardi. Agents also discovered a substance packaged in numerous baggies in the bedroom closet, under the bed, on the floor, and scattered throughout the room. The total weight of the substance was approximately 4,490.2 grams, about 9.89 pounds, and it field tested positive for methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
During a search of the basement living area, agents found a bag hidden behind a couch containing two firearms, a Sig Sauer P365 9mm and a Sig Sauer P232 .380 Kurz, along with another bag of suspected methamphetamine. That substance later field tested positive for meth and weighed approximately 401.9 grams.
In a statement to investigators, Zaccardi identified the bedroom containing the nearly 10 pounds of methamphetamine as his room and said he shared it with the woman. The other male inside the residence told agents he was unaware that methamphetamine was present in Zaccardi’s room.
Zaccardi is charged with first-degree controlled substance crime (sale) involving cocaine or methamphetamine, alleging the offense involved 100 or more grams or 500 or more dosage units, and first-degree controlled substance crime (possession) involving cocaine or methamphetamine, also alleging 100 or more grams or 500 or more dosage units.
The State requested significant bail as nearly 10 pounds of meth was found inside the residence, and Count 1 comes with a mandatory prison commitment of at least 65 months. The State requested that bail be set at $100,000 without conditions and $80,000 with conditions. Court records show the judge ultimately set the bail at $80,000 without conditions and $40,000 with conditions. As of the writing of this article, Zaccardi has not posted bail and remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail. His next court date is set for March 4, 2026, at 9 am in Hastings, Minnesota.