Fall River man caught trafficking cocaine, sentenced to state prison

A 23-year-old Fall River man caught last year trafficking a large amount of cocaine in New Bedford was sentenced to serve up to four-and-a-half years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

According to Gregg Miliote of the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Malcolm Perez pleaded guilty last week in Fall River Superior Court to a single-count indictment charging him with trafficking in cocaine. After accepting his guilty plea, Judge Renee Dupuis sentenced the defendant to serve three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in state prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Hendrie.

In January 2017 New Bedford Police received information from a confidential informant that the defendant was conducting narcotics deliveries in New Bedford out of a grey van with New York license plates. Police set up surveillance and spotted the defendant in that grey van making what they believed to be narcotics transactions. They made a stop and found him in possession of three bags of cocaine, weighing 128.8 grams, along with $ 160.00 in cash.

“This another case of a defendant selling a large amount of drugs that helps fuel the significant drug problem in our communities,” District Attorney Quinn said.