Investigation nets fentanyl trafficking arrests
Suspects accused of selling nearly 23 grams of fentanyl to undercover detective
TEWKSBURY >> A pair of Lawrence residents are behind bars after allegedly selling nearly 23 grams of fentanyl to an undercover detective on Wednesday during a narcotics investigation.
Juan Torres-pena, 36, and Diana Custodio-disla, 30, were both charged with trafficking the potent synthetic opioid, according to the Tewksbury Police Department.
A detective with the Tewksbury Police Narcotics Unit said the investigation began on Tuesday when they received a tip from a detective with the Billerica Police that an individual with a phone number they had obtained was distributing narcotics in the Merrimack Valley.
An undercover detective with the unit called the number and arranged to buy “2 fingers” of fentanyl — approximately 20 grams of the drug — from a man who answered the phone for $400, plus another $100 for delivery. The transaction was arranged to take place in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America at 1910 Andover St.
During the call, the man who answered the phone included a female party into the conversation to translate Spanish to English for him, according to the police report.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, the suspect vehicle, a 2014 Acura MDX, arrived at the hotel parking lot. A man and a woman were inside the car, later identified by police as Torres-pena and Custodio-disla. Torres-pena was driving the vehicle, while Custodio-disla was in the front passenger seat.
During the transaction, police said Custodio-disla accepted the cash from the undercover detective and handed them the packaged substance that later tested positive for fentanyl.
“In speaking with other officers I know that it is common for illegal narcotics distributors to work with partners,” the detective said in the report. “Partners are often used as a measure of counter surveillance (one person being a look out), one person handling the product while another person handles the cash, one person being a driver and another person being a person who conducts the transaction.”
After the transaction was completed, police pulled the Acura over, and took Torres-pena and Custodio-disla into custody without incident. According to the police report, Torres-pena was found in possession of $556, while Custodio-disla allegedly had the $500 from the undercover detective.
No narcotics were discovered during a search of the vehicle, but police reported finding another $255 in cash inside the SUV, along with two 10-karat gold rings.
“Based through my training and experience, it is common for a drug dealer to purchase solid intangibles to decrease the amount of cash to be carried on their person,” the detective said in the report.
The $811 cash and the two gold rings were all seized as proceeds of illegal narcotics sales, police said. The Acura was also seized.
Police said the substance that tested positive for fentanyl weighed 22.6 grams.
During the booking process, police said they determined Torres-pena’s driver’s license had been suspended, which led to an additional criminal charge
against the 36-year-old.
Torres-pena and Custodio-disla were both arraigned on Thursday in Lowell District Court by Judge Zachary Hillman on the charges of trafficking fentanyl (18 grams or more, but less than 36 grams), and felony conspiracy to violate drug law. Torres-pena was
additionally charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
Torres-pena was held on a $3,500 cash bail, while Custodio-disla was held on a $2,500 cash bail. They are both slated to return to court for a pretrial conference on April 18.
Documents from the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security signed on Thursday state an immigration detainer as been placed on Torres-pena. The detainer is used to inform local law enforcement that DHS intends to take custody of Torres-pena after he is released from custody, and that he is subject
to removal from the U.S. under the federal immigration law.
Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said his department was informed that neither Torres-pena nor Custodio-disla have legal immigration status, and Torres-pena had a prior order of removal.
Torres-pena’s attorney, Jeannine Mercure, was not immediately available for comment.
In a press release about the arrest, the Tewksbury Police thanked the detectives with the Billerica Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.