New Bedford resident being held for dangerousness hearing – News – southcoasttoday.com

NEW BEDFORD — A city resident charged with trafficking fentanyl is being held without bail on the state’s request for a dangerousness hearing, court documents say.

Jose M. Sanchez, 40, of 121 Mashpee Court is due to appear Tuesday in New Bedford District Court, according to court records. Sanchez is charged with trafficking fentanyl more than 10 grams and conspiracy to violate the drug laws. 

Sanchez is being held without bail at the Bristol County House of Correction, Dartmouth, after Judge James McGovern granted Bristol County prosecutors’ request on Friday to hold him without bail for a dangerousness hearing. The pre-trial detention hearing has not been scheduled.

Although described in the police narrative as a female, Sanchez has a male’s first name and his gender is listed as male.

A 17-year-old North Dartmouth male was arrested with Sanchez and also charged with trafficking fentanyl more than 10 grams and conspiracy to violate the drug laws, according to court documents. Court information about juvenile defendants is not available to the media.

The New Bedford Police Department’s narcotics unit, Organized Crime Intelligence Bureau, received information that a Hispanic male in his late teens was going to leave 191 Elm St., Apartment 17, with a quantity of fentanyl, court records say.

Detectives set up surveillance of the address and observed the teen carrying a black backpack about 8 p.m. Thursday walking with Sanchez and saw them get into a white Dodge Dart and travel west on Middle Street. The car turned south on County Street, west on Morgan Street and south on Cottage Street to Union Street.

Police stopped the car at Cottage and Union streets as it turned west on Union Street, court records say. Sanchez was driving the car. The juvenile refused to open the passenger door and detectives breached the window and removed the teen.

Detectives found a black backpack on the floor board of the passenger seat between the feet of the teen, court records say. Police found 106.4 grams of fentanyl in 44 individually plastic bags packaged for street sales and $4,660 in cash in the backpack.

Police obtained a search warrant from New Bedford District Court for 191 Elm St., Apartment 17, and seized boxes of sandwich bags, two digital scales, a calibration weight and cut corner bags.

Follow Curt Brown on Twitter @CurtBrown_SCT