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A 31-year-old New Bedford cocaine trafficker with a lengthy record of criminal convictions was sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison last week, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Donald Venerable pleaded guilty on October 21 in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with trafficking cocaine in excess of 18 grams, assault and battery on a police officer, and assault and battery on a police officer with attempt to disarm.
On August 12, 2019, New Bedford Police executed a search warrant for the second floor apartment on 187 Division Street in New Bedford. The defendant was the target of that search warrant and was on court ordered GPS at the time, verifying his location and connection to the target apartment.
During the search of the apartment, police located five bags of cocaine weighing 42.9 grams in a kitchen drawer. Two of those bags were packaged in a torn Stop and Shop bag. Police also located two digital scales, a torn Stop and Shop grocery bag consistent with the packaging of the two bags of cocaine, a cutting agent, $1,865 in cash and a stun gun.
When police located the cocaine, the defendant, while handcuffed, lunged at and pushed two detectives into a couch, causing them to lose their balance and fall. The defendant appeared intoxicated and continually tried fighting with police. After calming down for a period, the defendant then struggled with and grabbed another detective’s firearm while handcuffed behind his back.
At the time of his arrest, the defendant had been free from jail for just 15 days. He had recently been released after being convicted of assault and battery by discharge of a firearm.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Lopes and the prison sentence was imposed by Judge Raffi Yessayan.
“Only 15 days after being placed on probation for assault and firearms charges, the defendant is caught trafficking in cocaine. The defendant had no intention of obeying the law and is a danger to the community.He belongs off the street to protect the public,” District Attorney Quinn said.
