Brockton man due in court arrested again in drug raid – News – southcoasttoday.com

By Cody ShepardThe Enterprise

BROCKTON — A city man scheduled to appear in Brockton Superior Court on Friday on an old drug case didn’t make it, because police say he was “caught red-handed” and arraigned at the district courthouse across the street.

Police say they began building a new case against Robert O’ Connell Jr. after receiving anonymous tips that he was selling drugs out of 680 Chatham West Drive, an apartment complex.

Detectives executed a search warrant at the home on Friday morning with assistance from state police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County district attorney’s office.

“They seized a plastic bag, which contained several smaller bags of drugs from O’Connell’s person,” said police spokesman Darren Duarte. “Two clear plastic bags had 4.9 grams of fentanyl inside. Another clear plastic bag had 48.3 grams.”

Police seized an additional bag with 2.7 grams and $2,552 in cash from his person, Duarte said.

In one of the bedrooms, police located four digital scales, a bag of fentanyl and a paper detailing the amount of money people owed him, police said.

In total, police seized 56.6. grams of fentanyl.

A Brockton police dog, Gerry, and state police dog, Malachi, assisted police on Friday.

O’Connell, 33, was arrested and charged with trafficking fentanyl and distributing a Class A substance.

Last May, O’Connell was also charged with trafficking fentanyl when detectives executed a warrant at a Warren Avenue apartment and seized about 100 grams of fentanyl. He was due to appear in Brockton Superior Court on Friday for a hearing in that case.

The result of his new arraignment in Brockton District Court on Friday wasn’t immediately available.