Man busted for allegedly selling heroin out of Fall River restaurant – News – The Herald News, Fall River, MA

FALL RIVER — A 53-year-old city man was arrested Tuesday on charges including fentanyl trafficking after police learned he was allegedly selling heroin out of Modern Snack Bar on Alden Street, according to court documents.

Luis Pavao, of Fall River, was arraigned in District Court Wednesday on charges of trafficking more than 10 grams of fentanyl, possession of a Class C drug and conspiracy to violate drug law, according to court documents.

Sometime in February, a confidential informant told Fall River police that Pavao was known to hang out at Modern Snack Bar until he received a phone call, according to a police report.

Pavao would then leave the business and sell heroin to customers either right outside or in the dead end portion of nearby Choate Street, the informant told police, according to the report.

The informant said Pavao allegedly purchased the heroin in Providence, then sold it to people in Fall River.

A plainclothes Fall River police detective assigned to the Vice Unit surveilled Modern Snack Bar on several instances over two weeks.

On Tuesday, three Fall River police detectives saw Pavao once again leave Modern Snack Bar and get into the passenger seat of a 2008 Honda Accord, according to the report.

The driver of the car, who later told police he sometimes drove Pavao to Providence to buy heroin and was given a few bags as payment, drove to Supreme Gas Station on Eastern Ave and filled up his tank.

Four more police detectives joined the investigation, according to the report. Detectives followed the Honda as it left the gas station and drove to Providence. Detectives lost sight of the vehicle in heavy traffic on Atwells Avenue, according to the report.

“It is common knowledge that Providence, R.I., is a hub for heroin dealers from the South Coast of Massachusetts,” the detective wrote in his report.

Detectives began driving their unmarked vehicles back to Fall River. But about 20 minutes, the Honda was spotted once again, this time driving through Somerset en route back to the city.

A detective followed the Honda as it drove back to Modern Snack Bar, then backed into the dead end portion of Choate Street. Pavao and the driver appeared to look down at something placed near the vehicle’s center console, according to the report.

The Honda began to drive away when a plainclothes detective started walking toward the car with his K-9. As the car drove by slowly, the detective allegedly saw Pavao place a pill bottle and a bundle of blue glassine bags in his sweatpants pocket.

Detectives walked into Modern Snack Bar with their badges displayed, according to the report. Unsure of whether the “large bulge” in Pavao’s pants pocket was a weapon, a detective reached inside.

The detective pulled out several “bricks” containing a total of 511 glassine bags filled with a white substance believed to be fentanyl, and 30 pills of clonazepam, according to the report.

Pavao was arrested. Kevin Finnerty ordered Pavao held without bail before his trial, citing factors including his criminal record, which dates back to 1987, according to court documents.