Police seize 150 grams of fentanyl, $54,000 and two suspects in Bridgewater-area raids

masslive’s Logo

Police seize 150 grams of fentanyl, $54,000 and two suspects in Bridgewater-area raids

Simultaneous raids on two homes in Bridgewater and Brockton on Friday led to the seizure of 157 grams of heroin, $54,000 in suspected drug money, three illegal handguns and two suspects, according to police.

The W.E.B. Major Crimes and Drug Task Force executed search warrants at the properties following a two month investigation into 26-year-old Justin Ribeiro, a Bridgewater resident suspected of selling fentanyl across Bridgewater and surrounding communities.

Police believed that Ribeiro was using his white Acura to deliver the potent opioid and was also using a Nesrella Drive home in Brockton as a distribution center.

After obtaining the warrants, detectives and Massachusetts State Police troopers launched the raid around 6 p.m. on Friday.

Detectives arrested Ribeiro outside his home, after which other investigators searched the two suspect properties, allegedly finding the fentanyl, money and guns.

Ribeiro was charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws and is being held on $7,500 bail. 22-year-old Brockton resident Ariana Vieria was also arrested and charged with fentanyl trafficking and firearms counts. She is being held on $25,000 bail.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid dozens of times more powerful than heroin. Originally created for medical uses, it has become a lucrative street drug and a driver of opioid deaths in Massachusetts, according to Department of Public Health statistics.

An estimated 2,033 people died in Massachusetts of opioid overdoses last year, according to DPH. Fentanyl was found in the systems of 89 percent of fatal overdose victims who underwent a toxicology screen.



Source link