Several agencies combined to seize an impressive haul of drugs in Massachusetts this week.
According to Massachusetts State Police, throughout the month of August, Troopers and Task Force Officers assigned to the Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET)-North, with assistance from the Lawrence Police Department, initiated a narcotics investigation involving Miguel Soto-Castillo of Lawrence.
On Thursday, Troopers arrested Soto-Castillo for possession of more than 100 grams of fentanyl. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Soto-Castillo’s Lawrence residence. The search resulted in the seizure of approximately 20 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, approximately $42,000 in cash, and multiple items commonly associated with the processing and packaging of narcotics.
Soto-Castillo was transported to the Massachusetts State Police Andover Barracks, where he was booked on narcotics-related charges and held pending arraignment in Lawrence District Court.
Court records show that at arraignment he pled not guilty and was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Wednesday.
CINRET-North is staffed by members of the Massachusetts State Police and supported by federal and local law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Lynn Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Haverhill Police Department, and Essex County Sheriff’s Department.
This investigation highlights the strong partnerships among CINRET-North and its federal and local law enforcement partners and their ongoing efforts to combat the distribution of dangerous narcotics in communities across the Commonwealth.
