State Police arrest 5 from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, in large-scale cocaine and fentanyl distribution operation

According to a release, the Rhode Island State Police today announced that on Wednesday, the Rhode Island State Police HIDTA Task Force concluded a joint narcotics and firearms investigation conducted with the Massachusetts State Police CINRET (Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team). As a result of this investigation, court-authorized search warrants were executed at residences located at 90 Elbow Street, Bellingham Massachusetts, 122 Cross Street, Floor 2, Central Falls, Rhode Island, and 182 Cumberland Street, Apt. 85, Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Based on illegal contraband located and seized from the locations and individuals involved, members of the HIDTA Task Force and the CINRET charged the following individuals with numerous firearms and narcotics offenses:

Enyel Delapaz Pantojas, age 23, of Bellingham, Massachusetts

Eddyziel Mejia Cortes, age 22, of Bellingham, Massachusetts

Daryl Yahir Melendez Lopez, age 21, of Bellingham, Massachusetts

Hector Ramos, age 29, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Ricardo Salazar, age 56, of Central Falls, Rhode Island

During the execution of the court-authorized search warrants at 90 Elbow Street, Bellingham, MA and 122 Cross Street, Floor 2, Central Falls detectives located and seized the following:

• 4,865 grams of cocaine
• 100 grams of fentanyl
• Two fully loaded semi-automatic pistols
• $79,619

This investigation revealed that these individuals were involved in a large-scale cocaine and fentanyl distribution operation and were utilizing multiple addresses in Rhode Island and Massachusetts to store, package and distribute their narcotics. 

Narcotics and firearms charges include Possession With the Intent to Deliver Over 1 Kilogram of a Schedule II Controlled Substance – Cocaine, Possession With the Intent to Deliver One Ounce to One Kilogram of a Schedule II Controlled Substance – Fentanyl, Possession With the Intent to Deliver A Schedule II Controlled Substance – Fentanyl, Possession With the Intent to Deliver a Schedule II Controlled Substance – Cocaine, and Possession of a Firearm While Committing a Controlled Substance Violation.

This seizure is the direct result of investigative efforts by the HIDTA Task Force in their pursuit of violent, and often armed narcotics distributors. The success of these investigations is attributed to the partnerships of the Rhode Island State Police, participating members of the HIDTA Task Force, the Massachusetts State Police and other local and federal law enforcement agencies within the State of Rhode Island and the State of Massachusetts.

The Rhode Island State Police High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force is comprised of members from the Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, Cranston Police Department, North Providence Police Department, Johnston Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program.