A male resident of West Plymouth, England, was arrested on February 7 for allegedly importing illegal drugs from Columbia via the darknet. He was charged with drug trafficking a variety of controlled drugs, including oxycodone and heroin.
The 29-year-old man named Andrew King would purchase the drugs from dark web markets after which they would be delivered to his home at Bettencourt Road via DHL parcel delivery services. King would weigh and package the drugs in his house then distribute them all over Plymouth and its surrounding areas.
King’s arrest comes after the Massachusetts State Troopers of the Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET) – South begun investigations into drugs and drug trafficking events in Plymouth early this month. Shortly after, CINRET detectives were contacted by special agents working under the to the Department of Homeland Security concerning a number of strange-looking packages that were being sent from a certain address in Medellin, Columbia, to another address in Bettencourt Road (133), Plymouth.
When they looked into the packages further, it was discovered that they contained illegal drugs. Additional packages from DHL were intercepted by the Customs and Border Protection officers. Police state that King had been collecting the packages at the same home address since August last year.
The latest package received on February 7, weighed 22.2g and contained 100 pills of oxycodone, each weighing 40mg. The troopers of CINRET-South, detectives from the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Plymouth Police Department, and Customs and Border Protection officers teamed up to deliver the parcel to King. A police trooper took the package to King’s home while posing as one of DHL delivery men. Later that afternoon, King collected it and acknowledged that it was his after which he carried it into his house.
As a result, State police came in with a warrant to search his premises and another for his arrest. The search revealed the DHL package sent to him earlier and the drugs heroin, Suboxone and Subutex. They also seized a measuring scale and, a laptop and cellphones used to communicate with his customers.
On February 8, Timothy J. Cruz, the District Attorney to Plymouth County stated that following his arrest, King was arraigned at the District Court of Plymouth. He was charged with possession of the Class A drug oxycodone, trafficking of illicit drugs, possession of a Class B controlled substance and two counts of subsequent offense of heroin, Suboxone and Subutex.
Authorities have warned drug smugglers and traffickers who use parcel delivery services such as DHL as a platform for their illegal activities. They also say that prohibitions and restrictions on items sent via parcel will continually be reinforced and that those who continue to use them for drug delivery will face the strong arm of the law.
This is among a number of successes of the Plymouth Police Department regarding disruption of drug trafficking and smuggling. This has led to their state certification and accreditation by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. They continue to increase their efforts towards fighting crime and bringing law breakers to justice.
According to the Labor Finance Chief, Mark Lowry, there has been a rise in the number of cases of drug addiction which have led to extravagance of the council’s budget in order to accommodate the increasing use of adult social care services.
Statistics reports show that nearly 100 people have died in Plymouth as a result of drug use in the past three years. Out of these, 95 were due to drug poisoning of either abused legal drugs or illegal drugs. Among the most abused drug were cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. The latter would be mixed with cocaine or heroin in arbitrary amounts causing deaths related to accidental overdosing.
The Plymouth County Drug Abuse Task Force is working hand in hand with the police with an aim to provide treatment solutions for those impacted by drug induced health conditions. They also provide education and treatment to addicts through the use of medical personnel, educators and substance abuse experts. In addition, the task force has partnered with community members to assist caregivers identify resources to help the affected, reduce the stigma associated with drug abuse, and to help apprehend drug traffickers.
