The State Police here in Massachusetts have created a task force along with local and federal authorities that has been targeting high level drug crimes. The The Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET) has been targeting and arrestig individuals involvedin trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and associated gun crimes. According to the State Police website:
- "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."
Just a couple of examples
- Lynm - 2.5 kilograms of heroin/fentanyl, 1,900 pills and $415,000 in cash, and an additional 95 grams of fentanyl and 1,100 pills
- Brockton - 400 grams of fentanyl and $51,000
- Lawrence - 7 guns, 3 large capacity feeding devices, ammunition, 14 pounds of marijuana, $5,000 in cash, and nearly a kilogram of heroin and fentanyl
- Worcester - 800 grams of Fentanyl
Many of the arrests accompany large seizures of cash subject to forfeiture. Meanwhile, the Boston and Plymouth County District Attorneys' Offices (the prosecutors) have started routinely filing for civil asset forfeiture in every drug case. Just this week I have gotten four letters from drug prosecution cases seeking to forfeit the cash that was seized. Some are new cases, but others are over a year old. It looks like there is a move on to get serious about drug prosecutions in Massachusetts.
Some drug cases fall into the laps of the police when people are pulled over for simple traffic infractions and are found to have drugs on them. In other cases police do a more involved investigation, involving the use of informants and controlled drug buys. CINRET looks like the later. Those cases come with higher stakes, and tend to involve more complicated evidence, but the more complicated a case is, sometimes, the more opportunities to challenge what the police did.
If you, or anyone you know, has been caught up in a drug investigation, contact my office today to find out what an experienced criminal defense attorney can to do challenge the evidence in cases like these. The consultation is free and confidential.