New Bedford police detectives arrested six people and seized more than 220 grams of fentanyl during two separate incidents on May 26. Fentanyl is responsible for 93% of all overdose deaths in Massachusetts.

As a result of an ongoing investigation, detectives seized 208 grams of fentanyl with a street value of $20,000 (more than eight grams of marijuana) $1,200, and a variety of drug paraphernalia during a search of 15 Viall St., Apt. 1S. Paula Calisto and Abraham Castro—both of 41, 15 Viall St., Apt. 1S—were both charged with trafficking fentanyl over 200 grams, possession and conspiracy. Detective Timothy Soares led the investigation.

Also on May 26, while targeting street-level sales of narcotics in the south end of New Bedford, detectives observed what appeared to be a narcotics transaction involving two vehicles on Frank Street off Padanaram Ave. After stopping the vehicles, detectives located more than 15 grams of fentanyl and $905.

As a result of that stop, Nathan Stork, 29, 113 Middleboro Rd., E. Freetown, who is known to narcotics detectives for fentanyl activity was charged with distribution and conspiracy. Rodney Quintal, 29, 95 Fir Ave., Tiverton, RI, was charged with trafficking, possession to distribute, and conspiracy. Ryan Carvalho, 34, 30 Watson Way, Fall River, was charged with trafficking and conspiracy. Crystal Botelho, 54 Brown St., Apt. 2, Fall River, was charged with trafficking and conspiracy.

If you have any information on criminal activity in your community, the New Bedford Police Dept. wants to hear from you. You can leave an anonymous tip on our voicemail at (508) 991-6300 Ext. 1.

This past weekend, a male booked a flight at Logan Airport, missed the flight, then booked a second flight the same day.

The destination to which he was attempting to fly is known as a source area for illegal narcotics. As the passenger went through a TSA checkpoint he was questioned about a large quantity of US currency he was carrying, and stated that the amount was $1,500.

When Massachusetts State Police Troopers from Troop F questioned the passenger subsequently, he claimed he was carrying $40,000 to $50,000 cash. The passenger was then questioned by MSP detectives and reported the amount he was carrying to be $80,000-$85,000. MSP K9 Duke, who is trained to detect the odor of narcotics, showed a strong alert to the man’s belongings. A subsequent final count of the cash the man was carrying was $138,980.

Based on the totality of the circumstances, the money was help pending further investigation. The would-be passenger refused to sign a receipt for the secured currency and left the building, walking away from the money. The money will be subject to forfeiture proceedings.

“On the evening of Saturday, May 23, 2020, Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers conducted a marked patrol along the Mystic River in Everett.

Officers encountered numerous violations by individuals fishing from shore and by kayak, to include over the limit possession and minimum size violations.

Additionally, an individual threw his catch into the water after an Officer approached and instructed him not to do so. The individual was given a criminal summons to appear in Malden District Court for failure to display catch, possession of river herring, and use of other than circle hook.

All others were issued nearly $1,900 in citations. The fishing gear utilized in the violations and the catch was seized. The seized catch was properly stored overnight and donated to the Pine Street Inn, a homeless service shelter in Boston.

Multiple federal agencies are reporting an increase in fraudulent unemployment claims exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically of state and federal government employees.

Within the UMass system, there have been several cases reported where claim requests have been submitted to the Department of Unemployment Assistance allegedly by our employees. Some of you may assume that the University filed this on your behalf due to an upcoming unpaid furlough or layoff. However, the University is not able to file on your behalf and therefore we suspect that an unknown party or parties is filing these fraudulent claims in an attempt to divert unemployment benefits.

Some of the information submitted on behalf of the employees may contain accurate information about the person reporting to be unemployed, including full name, address, previous unemployment, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, and possibly Driver’s License number. However, other information is false such as the email address, direct deposit for payments and the number of dependents.

If you receive a letter or other notice from the Department of Unemployment Assistance, via U.S mail or online, and you did not file a claim please contact the following as soon as possible:

Nancy Holsworth, nholsworth@umassd.edu,
Office of Human Resources

Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by email at DUA-verify@mass.gov and by phone (877) 626-6800

Lastly, if you receive a letter which contains your social security number, please also visit the Federal Trade Commission website, on how to protect your personal information, including a review of different monitoring options.

On Monday, May 25, at about 7:30 p.m. Wareham Police and other emergency services responded to Sandwich Road for a one car motor vehicle accident. Upon arrival officers observed a male that yelling, flailing his arms, and clenching his fists. It appeared as though he was directing his hostility towards bystanders at the scene. The male now hurled expletives at Officer Aaron Pacheco and Juvenile Detective Karl Baptiste.

The male was detained, and the officers determined that he had crossed the center line striking a curb, crossing the road again striking a guard rail, and then attempted to drive the vehicle to his residence before finally stopping. Multiple individuals told the officers that they had observed the vehicle swerving between lanes prior to the accident. One of the vehicles which had to swerve defensively to avoid a head-on collision was a Wareham Emergency Medical Services ambulance that was transporting a patient to the hospital at the time. Another witness was visibly shaken by the intensity of the accident.

After a brief investigation the officers arrested Alexx Joseph Rezendes (22), of 8 Sandy Road, Wareham. He is being charged as follows;

• Operating under the influence of liquor.
• Possessing an open container of alcohol in a vehicle.
• Marked lanes violation.
• Operating to endanger.
• Speeding.
• Failure to inspect vehicle.
• Disorderly conduct.
• Disturbing the peace.

Mr. Rezendes was not injured in the accident.

“At about 7:10 PM on Sunday May 24, 2020, officers assigned to District A-1 (Downtown) arrested Daniel Lucey, 40, of Boston on multiple charges while on patrol in the area of the Boston Common. Officers were approached by several concerned citizens who stated that they had observed the suspect lighting fire to an American Flag and throwing it onto the roof of an unoccupied Boston Police prisoner transport wagon which was parked near the fountain inside the park.

Officers quickly responded and stopped the suspect who stated that he had burned the flag and thrown it atop the police vehicle as a form of protest. Officers noted that the suspect was in possession of several other flags which appeared to be similar to the ones which are planted in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument over Memorial Day weekend to commemorate the Massachusetts service members who have given their lives in defense of the United States of America. While speaking to the officers, the suspect then proceeded to spit at one of them, with saliva striking the officer’s shoe. The suspect was then placed in custody on scene.

Daniel Lucey will appear in Boston Municipal Court on charges of Disorderly Conduct, Assault and Battery on a Police Officer, Malicious Destruction of Property and Malicious Destruction of Historical Monuments.”-Boston Police Department.

A Dominican national previously residing in Haverhill pleaded guilty today to fentanyl distribution and illegal firearm possession, among other charges.

Domingo Garcia Suero, 55, pleaded guilty during a videoconference to five counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance, specifically fentanyl, unlawful possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, two counts of Social Security fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for Sept. 22, 2020. Garcia Suero was arrested and charged in December 2017.

Garcia Suero filed applications with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles to renew his driver’s license and with MassHealth to receive benefits. In both applications, Garcia Suero provided a name and Social Security number belonging to a United States citizen from Puerto Rico. On five occasions in 2017, Garcia Suero sold and possessed fentanyl for sale. During a search of Garcia Suero’s apartment following his arrest, law enforcement recovered a Colt, model Police Positive .38 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number and six rounds of .38 caliber ammunition. Garcia Suero has two prior drug trafficking convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl in excess of 40 grams provides for a minimum sentence of eight years and up to life in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of $8 million. The charge of felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of Social Security fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of two years to run consecutive to any other imposed sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; Brian Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Office; Christina Scaringi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Regional Office; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Massachusetts State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Hemani of Lelling’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

A Duxbury man pleaded guilty Friday to a child pornography offense.

Louis Ackerman Jr., 46, pleaded guilty during a videoconference hearing to possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Sept. 21, 2020. Ackerman was arrested and charged in November 2019.

On Nov. 15, 2019, federal agents executed a federal search warrant at Ackerman Jr.’s home and located an iMac computer and two hard drives belonging to him. An onsite forensic review revealed images and videos of child pornography on that computer. From under Ackerman Jr.’s bed, agents also recovered DVDs and printed material, which depicted child pornography. Further review of the computer and other materials seized from the residence revealed approximately 295 videos of child pornography and approximately 322 images of child pornography, including prepubescent minors under the age of 12.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Field Division; Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend; and Duxbury Police Chief Stephen McDonald made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

“Shortly before 10 p.m. last night Massachusetts State Troopers from the State Police-Cheshire Barracks responded to the area of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to assist Cheshire Police search for a missing and distraught woman. The State Police K9 Unit also responded to assist.

MSP K9 Trooper Jason Gallup responded with his partner Lennox to assist in the search for the woman, who had been missing from her home for more than two hours and was described as being in a state of crisis.

Troopers and Officers reviewed footage from a residential camera and determined that the woman had been walking on a street that ended in a densely wooded area. Police obtained a pillowcase belonging to the missing person to establish an odor signature and placed it at the point on the street where the woman was last seen.

Trooper Gallup deployed Lennox (pictured) at the pillowcase and the dog began tracking into the woods. Trooper Gallup and Lennox tracked approximately 100 yards into the woods, passing over several open trails, and Lennox than displayed a proximity alert.

The Trooper illuminated a tree line at that location and the Trooper located the missing woman lying on the ground within a tree line. Cheshire Firefighters and EMS administered emergency first aid and the woman was transported out of the woods by ATV to a waiting ambulance, which then transported her to an area hospital. We wish her a full return to health.”-Massachusetts State Police.

On May 21, New Bedford police officers conducted a traffic stop near the corner of Austin and Purchase streets. As a result, officers seized more than 18 grams of crack cocaine and $2,255.

25-year old Trent Boston of 189 Rockland Street is charged with trafficking cocaine and driving with a suspended license. Boston currently has open cases in New Bedford District Court for distribution of class A, B, and D. 

If you have any information on criminal activity in your community, the New Bedford Police Dept. wants to hear from you. You can leave an anonymous tip on our voicemail at (508) 991-6300 Ext. 1.