NORTH SMITHFIELD – Police seized millions worth of drugs, jewelry, cash and cars and arrested 13 people while executing search warrants Thursday in several Massachusetts communities, as well as North Smithfield.
The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office announced that a two-year multi-agency investigation led to the arrests in the bust of what authorities described as a large scale drug trafficking operation. Among items seized were six kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of cocaine, 15 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of amphetamine and 15,000 pressed pills of fentanyl and methamphetamine
According to a news release from the office, 19 search warrants were executed Thursday, April 13, in communities that included Framingham, Worcester, Lawrence, Ashland, Peabody, Northbridge and Woburn, Mass., as well as North Smithfield.
The 13 suspects arrested had addresses in Massachusetts – or provided no residence – including:
- Sandy Marte-Caraballo, 34, Woburn, charged with: Trafficking Fentanyl, Trafficking Cocaine, Trafficking Methamphetamine, Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws
- Osny De La Cruz, 25, Lawrence, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws, Trafficking in Fentanyl over 10 grams, Trafficking in Cocaine over 200 grams, Trafficking in Class B amphetamines over 200 grams, and Trafficking in Class B methamphetamines over 200 grams
- Santos Martes, 31, Peabody, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams
- Bryan Mendez, 28, Worcester, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams
- Angel Battiata, 27, No residence given, charged with: Trafficking of a Class B Controlled Substance
- Roberto Castro, 34, Worcester, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws
- Joshua Fontaine, 30, Worcester, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws, Trafficking in Cocaine over 36 grams, Trafficking in Methamphetamine over 36 grams
- Charles Johnston, 62, and Crystal Trauterman, 40, both from Ashland, charged with: Possession with intent to distribute Class B Controlled Substance (cocaine) and Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws
- Maia Masso, 28, Framingham, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking in Cocaine over 36 grams
- Cameron Trudell, 32, Northbridge, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws.
- Efrain Urena, 32, Lawrence, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams.
- Ana Caraballo, 56, Worcester, charged with: Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws and Trafficking Cocaine over 200 grams.
Police said some of the pills contained the substance “xylazine,” described as a tranquilizer that puts users at a higher risk of overdose and is not reversible with Narcan.
Also reportedly seized in the raids were 13 high-end vehicles, including a Mercedes Benz SDN, Range Rover, and BMW i8, along with a firearm, three loaded magazines, more than $100,000 in cash, more than $200,000 worth of jewelry, and drug paraphernalia that included a pill press and gear.
“Over the course of the investigation, police and prosecutors gathered evidence that Sandy Marte-Caraballo and Osny De La Cruz were allegedly leading and operating a drug trafficking enterprise that included allegedly dealing fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and pressed pills to customers in the Woburn, Lawrence, Framingham, Natick, Ashland and Worcester area,” noted the release.
State police in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, along with at least ten local police departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Secret Service were also invovled.
The DA’s office said that additional charges were possible against those who were arrested.
