AG: 16 arrested, drugs, weapons seized in major drug bust in Mass.

A joint operation conducted earlier this week that was led by the Massachusetts State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Crew Homeland Shield Investigations Raynham Police Department and prosecuted by the Massachusetts Attorney General s Office resulted in the execution of search warrants at locations throughout Fall River Taunton Raynham Norton Pembroke and Falmouth and the arrests of suspected fentanyl and cocaine distributors During the searches law enforcement seized approximately grams of cocaine and grams of fentanyl firearms multiple high-capacity magazines hundreds of rounds of ammunition and in US currency The AGO s State Police Detective Unit the State Police s Technical Services Unit the Plymouth Bristol and Norfolk County State Police Detective Units Norton Police Department Fall River Police Department Drug Enforcement Administration New Bedford Resident Office United States Postal Inspection Provision and the West Bridgewater Police Department also provided valuable investigative assistance Operation No Love began in March of when members of CINRET-South consisting of Troopers and Officers with Brockton and East Bridgewater Police Departments and a special agent with HSI initiated a narcotics inspection into a drug trafficking organization involved in the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine in Bristol County Through investigative efforts an undercover State Trooper was able to successfully conduct nine controlled drug purchases with a member of the drug trafficking organization With the controlled purchases as a starting point the investigative association used a combination of physical and electronic surveillance toll analysis and court-authorized electronic intercepts of target cell phones to identify the organization s hierarchy primary subjects communication devices vehicles methods of operation and sources of narcotics supply As a consequence of information developed through these methods investigators obtained search warrants for locations in Taunton two locations in Raynham four locations in Fall River and one location each in Falmouth Pembroke and Norton On the morning of Tuesday April the investigative crew comprised of nearly law enforcement Troopers and Officers conducted a coordinated operation and executed the warrants As a effect of the search warrants on April investigators seized approximately grams of cocaine grams of fentanyl firearms hundreds of rounds of ammunition high-capacity magazines and in suspected drug proceeds In addition on April Fall River Police Department and CINRET investigators received further information regarding one of the target locations in Taunton Members of CINRET assisted by a Narcotics K from the Quincy Police Department returned to the location conducted a subsequent search and located a loaded Diamondback mm pistol grams of fentanyl and grams of cocaine The following individuals were arrested as a impact of the assessment and arraigned in various District Courts Fall River District Court Yosef Ali of Fall River Trafficking in Fentanyl grams or More count Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Jean Carlos Castillo Mendoza of Fall River Trafficking in Fentanyl grams or More count Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Taunton District Court Jorge Santiago of Taunton Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance counts Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Jorge Arce of Taunton Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Trafficking in Fentanyl grams or More count Possession of Ammunition without FID Card count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Neftali Torres of Taunton Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Christopher McLaughlin of Taunton Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Trafficking in Fentanyl grams or More count Held without Bail Shawn Roias of Taunton Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class D Substance count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Possession of a Large Maximum Feeding Device count Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony count Bail set at Courtney Whitmore of Taunton Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Val Bettencourt of Taunton Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance Subsequent Offense count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Brayton Crites of Taunton Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class A Substance Subsequent Offense counts Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Andrew Williams of Raynham Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More counts Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More counts Distribution of a Class B Substance counts Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Sabrina Cohen of Taunton Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Lucas Guimaraes of Norton Trafficking in Cocaine grams or More count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Brian Szakaly of Raynham Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony count Bail set at Falmouth District Court David Brasil of Falmouth Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class a Class B Substance count Possession of a Class C Substance count Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws count Bail set at Mary Hunt of Falmouth Possession of a Class B Substance Bail set at Personal Recognizance Lucas Guimaraes will also be arraigned at a later date out of Attleboro District Court on the following charges Trafficking Cocaine grams or more Count Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony Count Possession of a Firearm without FID Card Count Possession of Ammunition without FID Card Count The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Diana Fantasia and Deputy Division Chief Jen Kirshenbaum of the AGO s Enterprise Major Crimes Division