Massachusetts State Police break up large scale drug trafficking enterprise involving Fall River, Worcester, Quincy

A lengthy investigation by the Massachusetts State Police and United States Postal Inspectors led to the interception yesterday of three kilograms of suspected cocaine mailed from Puerto Rico to a large-scale Massachusetts drug trafficking enterprise.

According to Dave Procopio of Massachusetts State Police, Troopers and Postal Inspectors found the cocaine when they executed a search warrant on the parcel after it was delivered to 35-year-old Stephen Marsden the resident of an apartment at 100 Cove Way, Quincy on Friday morning. Marsden was placed under arrest and transported to the State Police-South Boston Barracks for booking. He was held on $50,000 cash bail pending his arraignment in Quincy District Court next week.

As part of the investigation, a Trooper from the State Police Detective Unit for Norfolk County also obtained search warrants for Marsden’s apartment and his 2015 Infiniti Q50 sedan, as well as for a residence at Allison Circle, Worcester, the home of 41-year-old Evans Klimavich, a co-conspirator of Marsden’s in the drug organization.

The search of Marsden’s Quincy apartment yielded five firearms, 143 loose rounds of ammunition, dozens of THC edible packages, approximately 80 Xanax pills, a money counting device, and materials used in the packaging of narcotics. A check revealed that one of the guns had been stolen during a housebreak in Oxford, North Carolina. Marsden does not have a license to carry firearms.

The search of Klimavich’s Worcester residence yielded another kilogram of suspected cocaine, approximately 50 pounds of marijuana, hundreds of vape cartridges, a quantity of psilocybin mushrooms, and approximately $52,000 in US currency. Klimavich was not in the residence when the search warrant was served around 11:30 a.m. but arrived home in his car a short time later while investigators were present. He was placed under arrest and transported to the State Police-Holden Barracks for booking pending bail and expected arraignment in Worcester District Court next week.

Additionally, information developed during the search warrant on the Quincy apartment led Troopers to obtain another warrant to search office space rented by Marsden at 7 Oregon Street in Fall River. The search of that address turned up four ghost guns – firearms without serial numbers, making them untraceable, assembled privately from unfinished and unregulated parts purchased separately or in kits – and large-capacity magazines. Investigators also seized several pounds of THC edibles and an ATM machine from the rented space and observed other apparent uncompleted ghost firearms in the process of being manufactured from unregulated parts. The investigation into the ghost guns is ongoing.

Marsden is charged with Trafficking in cocaine, Possession of a Class C narcotic (THC edibles) with intent to distribute, Possession of a Class E narcotic (Xanax) with intent to distribute, Unlawful possession of a firearm (5 counts), Possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, Unlawful possession of ammunition, and Improper storage of a firearm.

Klimavich is charged with Trafficking in cocaine, Trafficking in marijuana, and Trafficking in Class C narcotics (vape cartridges and mushrooms).

The investigation was conducted by the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, the State Police Narcotics Section, and the US Postal Service. The State Police Detective Units for Worcester County and Bristol County, as well as the State Police Gang Unit, assisted in execution of the search warrants.