Man held without bail on over a dozen drug and firearm charges after arrest by Massachusetts State Police, local officers

A New Bedford man is facing charges following a joint investigation with the New Bedford Police Department that led to the seizure of drugs, firearms, and ammunition.

According to Massachusetts State Police, on Thursday, detectives with the NBPD’s Violent Crime Intelligence Unit, working alongside the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit, executed search warrants in New Bedford at the residence of 36-year-old Steven Ellis and a garage associated with Ellis as part of an investigation into the illegal possession and distribution of narcotics.

During a search of Ellis’s residence, detectives located 96 Suboxone film strips, three firearms registered to his girlfriend, and packaging materials consistent with narcotics distribution. Ellis does not possess a License to Carry or Firearm Identification Card in Massachusetts. The firearms were seized, and the owner’s license to carry was suspended by the issuing authority, the Fairhaven Police Department.

During a search of the garage, detectives seized a Marlin .22 caliber rifle, a Springfield shotgun, a Remington shotgun, a Polymer80 ghost gun, a .22 caliber pistol with a defaced serial number, a taser, 16.9 grams of cocaine, 55 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, ammunition, and two large-capacity magazines.

Ellis was arrested and charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute a Class B drug, possession of a Class C drug, six counts of carrying a firearm without a license, defacing a serial number on a firearm, possession of an untraceable firearm, five counts of possession of ammunition without an FID card, and two counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device.

According to court records, Ellis pled not guilty and was held without bail on dangerousness with a probable cause hearing scheduled for May 11th.

The New Bedford Police Department commented, “This case is a strong example of the partnership between our department and the Massachusetts State Police. By working together and combining our resources, we’re able to build stronger cases, carry out thorough investigations, and take illegal drugs, firearms, and other dangerous items off our streets. That kind of collaboration is critical to protecting the City and holding offenders accountable.”