“BOSTON – A New Bedford man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to his role in a drug trafficking organization operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 46-year-old Jose Santiago pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2024. Santiago was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022.

Between approximately April 2022 and approximately June 2022, Santiago purchased fentanyl from the DTO that he then redistributed to others. Intercepted calls captured Santiago discussing purchasing fentanyl from the DTO.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sherriff’s Office; and Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (R.I.) and West Warwick (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.”-Massachusetts Department of Justice.

John Deaton is taking a “serious look” at running as a Republican candidate against Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. Deaton is a private attorney, a vocal advocate for the crypto industry, and a Swansea resident.

According to the Boston Globe, if Deaton runs, the Republican Party may be aiming not only at a direct victory over Warren in Massachusetts but also to engage her in a competitive race and prevent her from raising money for other candidates and causes.

Deaton was born in Detroit, is a former U.S Marine, and now owns Deaton Law Firm in Providence, Rhode Island. With over 300,000 followers on twitter, he is a leading voice online in the Crypto community. He has also used his platform to point out his disagreements with Senator Warren.

A reflection of our times:

Senator Warren’s misleading comments being corrected by regular people. https://t.co/7v5k00kKk8

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) January 22, 2024

Elizabeth Warren is known as one of Congress’ most prominent crypto skeptics, aggressively pushing legislation that cracks down on the industry. A spokesperson for Warren recently said in a statement.

“Senator Warren is taking nothing for granted. She has a strong record of delivering for working families and continues to fight hard for the people of Massachusetts,”.

“We would like to take a moment to recognize our AMAZING SROs during National School Resource Officer Day!

Our SROs serve as important bridges between our youth, law enforcement, and the Community. We appreciate your commitment to keeping our schools safe while also building positive relationships with the students, staff, and their families.

Thank you for your dedication and service ?‍♀️??”-City of New Bedford Police Department.

From Left to Right: SRO Bland, SRO Chevalier, SRO Demello, Rosie, SRO Reedy, SRO Harris, and SRO Fisher. City of New Bedford Police Department photo.

The City of New Bedford Solid Waste & Recycling Collection sent out a notice that trash pickup will be delayed next week in New Bedford. In observance of Presidents Day, there will be no trash collection on Monday, February 19th.

• For residential collection, all trash, recycling, and bulky pickups will be delayed 1 day.

• For Downtown & Commercial collection, there will be no collection on Monday. Tuesday-Friday will be on schedule.

• For Business cardboard pickup, Monday & Tuesday collection will be delayed 1 day. Fridays will be on schedule.

The recycling center will be closed on Monday.

Massachusetts residents have been posting screenshots on social media of a text they received to switch parties and defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 primaries. This is a campaign to enroll Democrats as “unaffiliated voters” in Massachusetts as a way to deny Donald Trump delegates and help Nikki Haley beat Trump in the primary.

The message says it’s paid for by the “Primary Pivot PAC”, whose mission statement on their website reads,

“PrimaryPivot is dedicated to protecting our democracy by defeating Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries. Through his words and actions, Donald Trump has demonstrated a disturbing disregard for the principles that underpin our democracy.

He has shown a shocking lack of faith in the peaceful transfer of power and a blatant disregard for the rule of law. These actions represent a clear and present danger to the integrity of our nation and its democratic processes. Our purpose is not to engage in partisan politics, but to safeguard the core values that have guided our country for generations.”

Below is the message that residents are receiving via text, what are your thoughts on this?

A Massachusetts State Trooper was involved in an accident on Route 6 in Dartmouth on Wednesday night.

The trooper collided with a 2009 Chevy Silverado just after 5pm.

The operator of the Silverado was uninjured but the State Trooper was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. The cause of the crash and who is at fault is currently unknown.

As part of the South Coast Rail Project construction of the new pedestrian bridge across Route 18 and Acushnet Avenue, the MBTA’s contractor will be erecting temporary support steel structures (falsework) over Route 18, which will be used to support the placement and construction of the new permanent bridge steel.

When complete, the pedestrian bridge will provide a neighborhood connection to the new MBTA Station on Acushnet Avenue at the Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot in New Bedford. This work will require overnight closures of Route 18 and adjacent roads.

The following is a tentative schedule of closures, subject to change:

• Tuesday Night Feb. 20 – Acushnet Avenue: traffic will be diverted to Herman Melville Blvd.

• Wednesday Night Feb. 21 – Route 18 Northbound at Route 6/Mill St. and Hillman St.: traffic
will be diverted to Herman Melville Blvd. and Purchase St. (see map on back)

• Thursday Night Feb. 22 – Route 18 Southbound at Purchase St. exit: traffic will be diverted to
Purchase St. (see map on back)

• Sunday Night Feb. 25 – Route 18 Southbound or Purchase Street Ramp: traffic diversions as
described above or below.

• Monday Night Feb. 26 – Route 18 Purchase St. Ramp: Traffic will be diverted to the next
Route 18 exit (Route 6 West exit onto Pleasant St./Purchase St.).

Overnight work hours and detours are scheduled for 8 PM to 5 AM.

Google Maps photo.

Google Maps photo.

“An 18-year-old former New Bedford man indicted for the July 2023 shooting of a New Bedford Police detective was arrested this afternoon at Logan International Airport in Boston, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Denzel Gomes was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and New Bedford Police shortly after his flight from Portugal landed at the airport. The defendant was indicted last September on charges of Armed Assault to Murder, Attempted Assault and Battery with a Firearm, Assault and Battery with a Firearm, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon-Causing Serious Bodily Injury and Carrying an Illegal Firearm.

The defendant will be held in jail overnight and arraigned in Fall River Superior Court tomorrow morning.

The defendant is accused of shooting and injuring New Bedford Police Detective Lavar Gilbert, and another civilian, on July 17, 2023 at the intersection of Orchard and Rivet streets.

“I would like to thank the efforts of law enforcement agencies on the federal level who we worked closely with, including US Customs and Border Protection, the US Marshals and the ATF, for their persistence and follow through in helping us locate the defendant. I am pleased he has now been arrested and apprehended for this violent and lawless shooting that seriously injured detective Gilbert and injured another person,” District Attorney Quinn said.

An extensive grand jury investigation into the shooting, headed up by Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Guilderson and Matthew Sylvia and conducted jointly by Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to DA Quinn’s office and New Bedford Police Detectives, resulted in the September 28, 2023 indictment.

After the indictment was returned, it was determined that the defendant had already left the country.

With the assistance of the US Marshals, agents with the US Customs and Border Protection and ATF agents, investigators identified and located the defendant boarding a flight today bound for Boston. The defendant was arrested in Boston without incident.

Because the defendant has yet to be arraigned in open court on these charges, no further information about the facts of the case can be disseminated until he is arraigned tomorrow.

“I am very pleased to know that the fugitive responsible for injuring one of our detectives during a recent shooting is now in custody. I’m thankful for the combined efforts of our dedicated law enforcement community in capturing the suspect,” New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira said. “I would also like to acknowledge the particularly tenacious efforts of Detective Jordan Ferreira. This incident highlights the importance of unity between agencies and the relentless pursuit of dangerous criminals.”

All photos by by Carlos Pimental Felix:

Videos by Carlos Pimental Felix:

On January 30, we reported that 40-year-old Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe, wanted in connection with killing 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu of Whitman, Massachusetts, was apprehended at a nightclub by Kenyan authorities.

Kangethe is suspected of stabbing Mbitu to death sometime between October 30 and November 4, 2023. then dumping her body in a garage at Logan Airport.

Massachusetts District Attorney Kevin Hayden said that his office was informed by federal officials that Kangethe escaped from police custody in Kenya. “It is our hope that Kenyan law enforcement will do their utmost to recapture Kangethe so that we can continue seeking justice for Margaret Mbitu and her family,” Hayden said.

Kangethe escaped the prison prison despite there being four officers on duty. The opportunity to escape was made possible when Kangethe was removed from his cell and placed in an office to meet with his attorney John Maina Ndegwa who had scheduled the meeting.

Nairobi Police Chief John Maina Ndegwa called Kengethe’s escape “embarrassing.” All four of the officers who were on duty have been arrested.

In a press conference, Mbitu’s family was livid at Kengethe’s escape. Mbitu’s cousin Joel Muhoro visibly angry with officials, said “I don’t have no words. They had him. They told us they had him and they let him walk out. So who can we trust?”

On Wednesday, February 14th, Authorities in Kenya said the man suspected of murder in Massachusetts was rearrested after he escaped local authorities a week earlier while awaiting extradition. They did not elaborate on the details of the arrest.

When news broke last week that Kangethe escaped prison, the family of Margaret Mbitu was devastated and many were exposing the Kenyan Police Department as being heavily corrupt.

Kangethe is expected to get sent back to the United States, and we will follow up with details as new information is released.

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“Fire Chief Jamie Desautels and Police Chief Richard DiPersio report that the Hudson Fire and Police Departments responded Tuesday to a two-alarm fire at the Department of Public Works’ fleet garage.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, at about 5 p.m., emergency crews learned of a fire in the fleet garage, 1 Municipal Drive. Upon arriving, crews observed heavy smoke showing from the DPW garage.

On entry, crews encountered three large snow plows on fire. The snow plows and three other DPW vehicles were damaged. The building was significantly damaged and is not operational.

Hudson Fire Department photo.

No one was inside, and there were no injuries. A preliminary investigation found that the fire began in a sanding truck parked inside the garage. The fire does not appear to be suspicious.

The garage is located behind the town administration building, but that was not affected.

“We are grateful to all first responders who came to the scene and assisted in fighting the fire,” said Eric Ryder, Hudson Department of Public Works director. “Quick action by all made sure that the fire did not damage more equipment.”

On-scene mutual aid aid was provided by Marlborough, Northborough, Stow and Sudbury. Berlin and Clinton covered Hudson’s fire stations.”-Hudson Fire Department.

Hudson Fire Department photo.

Hudson Fire Department photo.