Members of a regional task force arrested a suspected fentanyl trafficker yesterday morning in Lawrence after surveillance officers observed him take a taxi to the site of a pre-arranged drug transaction.

Yasil Delossantos, 27, of Boston, was charged with trafficking in fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and possession of cocaine. Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit Troopers and an FBI agent assigned to the task force recovered approximately 60 grams of suspected fentanyl that Delossantos gave to two drug customers who were in a car with Maine license plates.

The sequence of events that led to the arrest and drug seizure began around 11 a.m. Friday while an MSP Trooper and the FBI agent assigned to the North Shore Gang Task Force were working gang and drug interdiction in the Upper Tower Hill neighborhood.

Task force officers observed a white Subaru Forester wagon with a Maine registration traverse the area of Haverhill, Royal, Smith, Middlebury, and Nelson streets, making a series of turns and u-turns. The Trooper and Agent observed the Subaru stop on Nelson Street, where a man, later identified as Delossantos, approached the vehicle on foot. Moments later the Subaru drove off and pulled into a nearby 7-11 parking lot, where it remained for several minutes. It then left the lot and parked on Warwick Street.

As task force officers watched, a taxi pulled up next to the parked Subaru, Delossantos got out the taxi, walked over to the Subaru, and conducted a suspected hand-to-hand transaction, and re-entered the taxi, which then drove away.

The FBI agent followed the taxi and pulled it over on nearby Haverhill Street. When the taxi driver stopped, Delossantos jumped out of the vehicle and took off running. The agent pursued him on foot a significant distance and ultimately apprehended him.

Meanwhile, the MSP Trooper stopped the Subaru on Dawes Street. The Trooper observed an item thrown from the passenger window. He retrieved it and determined it was part of a condom; condoms are frequently used by drug dealers to store narcotics in a manner that is easy to conceal in body cavities.

The trooper identified the driver of the Subaru as a 55-year-old man and the passenger as a 38-year-old woman. After being questioned, the woman turned over a condom containing approximately 60 grams of fentanyl wrapped in green plastic. Further investigation determined the Subaru occupants had been referred to Delossantos to purchase drugs, and that Delossantos had given them this first quantity as free sample of what he sold.

The man and woman were allowed to leave after task officers took their information; they will be summonsed to court to face drug charges.

Task force officers questioned the taxi driver, who said he had just picked up Delossantos. The driver was determined to not be complicit in the drug transaction.

Task force officers also found a small amount of cocaine in Delossantos’ pocket. Delossantos was booked at the Lawrence Police Station and was expected to be arraigned in Lawrence District Court.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is many times more powerful than heroin.

The North Shore Gang Task Force is a partnership between the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, Lawrence Police and other local officers, and federal agents that work on the front lines of the battle against gang violence and drug trafficking.

A man sustained serious injuries while riding his motorcycle on Route 495 in Haverhill when he was struck by a ladder which had come out of the back of a truck.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Daniel Schumaker indicates that a 62-year-old Dracut man was traveling on Route 495 Southbound, south of Exit 52, in Haverhill on a 1985 BMW motorcycle when he was struck by a ladder which had come out of the back of a 2009 GMC Sierra pickup truck, which was also traveling southbound at the time. The motorcycle operator then crashed in the roadway.

The operator of the motorcycle was transported to Lawrence General Hospital before being flown by medical helicopter to a Boston area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

The operator of the pickup, a 38-year-old Haverhill man, remained on scene. He was cited for Operating with an Unsecured Load.

State Police were assisted on scene by Haverhill Fire and EMS and Haverhill Police.

On Saturday, April 6, 2019, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a Massachusetts Environmental Police Lieutenant encountered a vehicle with four occupants in an area of Wareham that is known for the illegal harvesting of Glass Eels. * Upon further investigation, the four occupants, all residents of Maine, were found to be in possession of undersized Glass Eels and small mesh nets used for the harvesting.

With assistance from the Wareham Police Department, the MEP Lieutenant took all four occupants into custody for the Marine Fisheries violations.

One of the arrested parties was found to be in possession of Class B drugs (crack cocaine) and drug paraphernalia (crack pipe). Ammunition for a .45 caliber handgun and a magazine for a .45 caliber handgun were located in the vehicle. It was further confirmed that none of the four occupants of the vehicle possessed a valid license to carry (LTC) or firearms identification card (FID) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The arrested parties were subsequently transported by the Environmental Police and the Massachusetts State Police to the State Police Barracks in Bourne.

A Massachusetts Environmental Police K9 Officer and his two K9 partners, certified in drug detection and firearms detection, searched the vehicle and located class A drugs (heroin), hypodermic needles containing a brown liquid, as well as additional ammunition.

All four individuals were booked by the Massachusetts Environmental Police on the below listed charges:

1. Chapter 130 Section 100D: Possession undersized American Eels
2. Chapter 130 Section 80: Harvesting Eels without a permit
3. 322 CMR 6.30: Possession of fine mesh net in the vicinity of coastal waters.
4. Chapter 269 Section 10h: Possession of ammunition without a valid LTC / FID
5. Chapter 94C Section 34: Possession of Class A drugs (heroin)
6. Chapter 94C Section 34: Possession of Class B drugs (crack cocaine)
7. Chapter 266 Section 120: Trespass
8. Chapter 266 Section 121A: Trespass with a Motor Vehicle

The Massachusetts Environmental Police would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police and Wareham Police Department for their assistance.

* Glass eels, also known as elvers or juvenile American eels, are highly valued for human consumption in certain parts of the world. Historically, eels were harvested in Europe and Asia to meet this demand; however, overfishing has led to a decline in the population of these eels. As a result, harvesters have turned to the American eel to fill the void resulting from the decreased number of Asian and European eels.

American eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic Ocean bounded on all sides by ocean currents. They then travel as larvae from the Sargasso to the coastal waters of the eastern United States, where they enter a juvenile or elver stage, swim upriver, and grow to adulthood in fresh water. Elvers are exported for aquaculture, where they are raised to adult size and sold for food.

On Saturday, April 6, 2019, at approximately 12:36 p.m., while negotiating an arrest associated with a traffic stop on State Road, two Dartmouth police officers were exposed to Fentanyl, which was secreted inside both the vehicle and the suspect’s wallet.

As a result of their exposure, both officers were transported to St. Luke’s Hospital, where they were evaluated and subsequently released.

The operator of the vehicle, Jared BARBOSA, 29, of Fall River, was arrested on two outstanding warrants, both of which were drug-related.

Additional charges associated with the Fentanyl are pending.

A 37-year-old Dartmouth Police officer was arrested yesterday afternoon on charges related to an alleged rape of a child and alleged indecent assault of another child.

Shawn Souza, of Dartmouth, was arrested by a Massachusetts State Trooper assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office yesterday at the Dartmouth Police Station. He is charged with rape of a child by force, rape of a child-aggravated by age difference and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14 years old by a mandated reporter. All incidents are alleged to have occurred in Dartmouth.

The defendant was held overnight and arraigned in New Bedford District Court late this morning. After his arraignment, he was ordered held without bail pending the results of a dangerousness hearing. The dangerousness hearing is scheduled to occur on Monday morning.

The arrest came as a result of an investigation conducted by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit. After receiving a 51A report by the Department of Children and Families, Dartmouth Police officials immediately reached out the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit and requested that our office lead the investigation.

Due to the sensitive nature of the case and the need to protect the identity of the alleged victims, the court this morning ordered all reports associated with the case impounded. Therefore no further information about the facts of the case can be disseminated at this time.

In an eight-hour period on Wednesday, April 3, New Bedford police officers arrested 11 people on various drug charges. According to New Bedford police logs, there were three drug overdoses in New Bedford at 10:14 am, 1:20 pm, and 7:27 pm.

At 10:47 am, 33-year old Marty Gross Jr of 138 Deane Street in New Bedford was arrested at 151 Tinkham Street for possession of Fentanyl and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

At 12:19 pm, New Bedford police arrested two men on drug charges at 171 Coggeshall Street. 33-year old man is being charged with possession of a Class E drug and conspiracy to violate drug laws. 35-year old Allen Monteiro Jr. is being charged with distribution of a Class E drug, possession of Xanax, possession of a Class A drug, and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

At 12:20 pm, New Bedford police arrested 41-year old Derreck McAfee for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and possession of a Class B drug.

At 1:08 pm, New Bedford police arrested two men on drug charges at 32 Tallman Street. 49-year old Waleska Torres of 315 North Front Street Apartment 3S, is being charged with possession of a Class B drug and conspiracy to violate drug laws. 60-year old Joao Morais of 295 North Front Street, Apartment 1, is being charged with possession of a Class B drug and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

At 1:42 pm, New Bedford police arrested two men on drug charges at 236 North Front Street. 39-year old Angel Serrano of 319 Reed Street, Apartment 2, is being charged with possession of Fentanyl, possession of a Class B drug, and conspiracy to violate drug laws. 73-year old Juan Gonsales of 71 Division Street is being charged with possession of a Class A drug and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

At 3:26 pm, New Bedford police arrested 21-year old Kyle Landgraf of 289 Maple Street at 640 Maxfield Street in New Bedford for possession of Fentanyl.

At 4:44 pm, New Bedford police arrested 40-year old Angel Martinez of 474 Cottage Street at his home for trafficking in more than 10 grams of Fentanyl, trafficking in more than 18 grams of cocaine and possession of a suboxone.

At 5:31 pm, New Bedford police arrested 66-year old David Hescock at the SRTA Bus Terminal in downtown New Bedford for possession of a Class B drug.

At 7:15 pm, New Bedford police arrested 36-year old Alexandre Norte of 162 Portland Street at 85 Ruth Street for Possession of Fentanyl, crack cocaine, and amphetamine.

Yesterday just after 7:00 pm a trooper assigned to State Police-Foxboro was patrolling Route 495 northbound in Foxboro when he observed a gray Honda Odyssey speeding. The trooper followed the vehicle clocking its speed then initiated a traffic stop.

Upon stopping the vehicle the trooper approached the driver’s side and observed two occupants. He identified the operator as JULIAN VEGA-SANTOS, 39, of Philadelphia, Pa., and the passenger as ABUNDINO RAMIREZ-GUZMAN, 40, of Queens, NY. It was discovered that neither man possessed a valid license to operate the vehicle and as such a tow was dispatched to the scene.

Prior to the tow arriving the trooper conducted an inventory of the vehicle, during which he noticed several large bags of brand new clothing. This piqued his interest and he began to investigate more discovering most of the clothing still had the security tags intact. The trooper then discovered a backpack with a thick insulating tape used to block the security sensors allowing items to be removed from retail stores without triggering alarms. Also discovered was a homemade device used to remove these security sensors from clothing. It is suspected these articles of clothing were stolen from numerous retail stores across the region.

VEGA-SANTOS and RAMRIEZ-GUZMAN were both transported to the Foxboro barracks for their booking. As of this time the investigation continues in to the possibility these men may be involved in a much larger organized retail theft ring. They were arraigned today at Wrentham District Court on the following charges:

JULIAN VEGA-SANTOS:
• Unlawful Deactivation of Theft Detection Shielding;
• Receiving Stolen Property Over $1200;
• Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle;
• Speeding; and
• Failure to Keep Right.

ABUNDINO RAMIREZ-GUZMAN:
• Unlawful Deactivation of Theft Detection Shielding; and
• Receiving Stolen Property over $1200.

Troopers with the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit last night followed a car in Brockton and arrested its driver after they located 10 pounds of marijuana and a large amount of US currency in the vehicle. The amount of marijuana and cash found led Troopers to conclude that the driver was illegally involved in the sale of marijuana. Troopers charged DENNIS B. CORREIA, 30, of Boston, with possession of a Class D narcotic with intent to distribute.

The sequence of events leading to the arrest began around 9 p.m., when Troopers Ryan Walczak, Ryan Toolin, and Bryan Caccamo were working in plainclothes in an unmarked cruiser and observed activity consistent with the beginning of a drug transaction in a rented white Chevrolet Cruze in the area of Oscar Avenue. The Troopers attempted to follow the Cruze, but the two male occupants in the suspect vehicle suddenly accelerated to a very high speed and evaded the Troopers.

Approximately 35 minutes later, the same Troopers were patrolling on East Ashland Street when they observed the same white Chevy Cruze turn from East Main Street to East Battles Street without the operator using a directional signal. The Troopers pulled the vehicle and observed the operator turn into a driveway on East Battles, again without signaling. The Troopers activated their blue lights and siren, as the male operator of the Cruze immediately shut off his engine and tried to walk away from the vehicle.

The Troopers ordered the man to stop, at which time he re-entered the Cruze, closed the door, and began to move frantically around the passenger compartment. Trooper Walczak observed inside the car a large amount of marijuana in a vacuum sealed package, which he immediately recognized as consistent with a one-pound bag of the drug. Troopers Toolin and Caccamo detained the driver, later identified as CORREIA, and placed him in handcuffs for their safety. CORREIA was read his Miranda rights.

Based on the initial discovery of a pound-bag of marijuana, Troopers searched the vehicle further and located nine additional one-pound bags of the drug in the trunk and a large amount of US currency in the center console and glove compartment.

CORREIA was placed under and arrest and transported to the State Police-Middleboro Barracks and booked on the drug charge, and was also issued two motor vehicle violations. The total estimated street value of the 10 pound of marijuana is $20,000-$40,000. The total value of the cash found in the car was $9,142. The drugs and money were seized as evidence and logged as evidence.

New Bedford Narcotics Detectives arrest a man on Wednesday, April 3rd for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl after they concluded an investigation into a cocaine distribution service being operated out of 472 Cottage Street in New Bedford.

Detectives arrested the target of the investigation, Miguel Angel Martinez, 40, of 472 Cottage St., New Bedford after executing the search warrant. Detectives discovered over 32 grams of cocaine, 51 grams of fentanyl, 20 suboxone film strips, 27 prescription pills and $798 in U.S. Currency.

Martinez was charged with trafficking more than 10 grams of fentanyl, trafficking more than 18 grams of cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute class B. This was Martinez’s third arrest in the past three months, with two of the cases being drug-related. Martinez was due to be arraigned at Third District Court today.

Detective Kevin Barbosa was the lead investigator.

A 29-year-old man who previously resided in both Fairhaven and New Bedford arrested twice within a year for trafficking opiates was sentenced to serve five to seven-and-a-half years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Zachary Lovegrove pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court last week to indictments charging him with two counts of trafficking heroin, and one count each of distribution of Suboxone, distribution of Xanax, and possession of cocaine.

On November 4, 2016 Fairhaven Police were conducting surveillance at various commercial parking lots in town due to increasing narcotics activity. This defendant was seen on back to back days in commercial parking lots acting suspicious. On this date, he was seen by police going into the trunk of his car, reaching into his pants, removing something and placing it in the trunk. He then re-entered his car and began to drive away. Police ran his license plate and discovered he was driving with a suspended license. Police stopped the defendant’s vehicle and placed him under arrest. While inventorying his vehicle, police recovered 19 grams of a heroin/cocaine/fentanyl mixture, 164 Xanax pills in various baggies, 32 Suboxone strips and more than $1,000 in cash.

Then, on September 22, 2017, while out on $10,000 cash bail, the defendant was again arrested with nearly 40 grams of a heroin, cocaine and fentanyl mixture and one bag of cocaine. Fairhaven Police had received information that the defendant was staying in town at a friend’s house and was using that house as a base of operations for dealing drugs. Surveillance was set up outside the home and the defendant was seen meeting with known drug users and making hand to hand transactions with them.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Renee Dupuis.

“This defendant was out on bail when he was caught selling drugs once again. It is particularly disturbing that the drugs contained a very toxic mixture of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine which has led to an increase in fatal overdoses during the last several years. This defendant is a danger to the community and the public will be protected from him for up to seven and half years” District Attorney Quinn said. “I would like to thank the Fairhaven Police for their investigative efforts which led to the arrest and conviction of the defendant.”