New Southeastern MA based Drug Task force makes arrest, seizes enough fentanyl to kill 200,000 people

A newly created State Police Unit aimed at identifying, investigating and arresting violent opiate traffickers has arrested a suspected Fentanyl trafficker in Brockton and seized nearly 400 grams of Fentanyl and $51,000, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and Massachusetts State Police Colonel Kerry Gilpin announced today.

The Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET) is a newly created Massachusetts State Police Regional Drug Task Force comprised of state, federal and local law enforcement. State Police formed CINRET to identify, investigate and remove violent opiate traffickers from the streets of the Commonwealth. Regional CINRET units were developed as part of the new State Police Division of Homeland Security and Preparedness. The division was created last year by the Baker-Polito Administration to enhance MSP efforts to combat various threats to security in the Commonwealth, including opioid trafficking. In Plymouth County, Brockton Police and the East Bridgewater Police have assigned a detective to work exclusively with this team, which is based in southeastern Massachusetts.

During the month of May and June, 2018, members of CINRET conducted an investigation into narcotics distribution occurring within Plymouth County and the city of Brockton. As part of the investigation, the CINRET team developed information that Emmanuel Flores Ramos (12/31/92), who resides at 5 Colonial Terrace in Brockton, as an individual allegedly distributing Fentanyl to customers. Ramos allegedly travelled on foot to and from his residence to complete narcotics transactions, and used the address in Brockton to store large amounts of narcotics for distribution.

As a result of the investigation, State Police CINRET sought and obtained a narcotics search warrant and this morning, at approximately 10:45 am, Ramos was placed under arrest after a brief struggle.

Members of CINRET, Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Brockton Police executed the search warrant of Colonial Terrace and found 377.5 grams of suspected Fentanyl, $51,323 in cash, numerous cell phones, digital scales and packaging materials.

Ramos is expected to be arraigned in Brockton District Court tomorrow on Trafficking of a Class A Substance, Fentanyl, and Resisting Arrest.

The drugs were seized and transported to the State Police Crime Lab where they will be tested for analysis. The investigation remains active and ongoing by Massachusetts State Police CINRET, State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and Brockton Police.