Tewksbury Chief: 9-Month-Old Was Feet Away From Fentanyl During Bust
TEWKSBURY (CBS) -- Three people arrested after a major drug bust could also face child endangerment charges after a nine-month-old child was found just feet away from what police believe was the deadly substance fentanyl.
Wilson Soto, 49, Cristina Richardson-Rodriguez, 48, and their 20-year-old son Yojanel Soto were all arraigned Friday on drug trafficking charges.
Wilson Soto was also charged with identity fraud and having a false driver's license.
All three were held on bail--Wilson Soto was held on $500,000, Yojanel Soto was held on $50,000, and Richardson-Rodriguez was held on $25,000.
Police said they found over a kilo of cocaine, about half a kilo of fentanyl, and about $8,000 cash in their Ames Hill Drive apartment and in a vehicle that was also subject to a search warrant.
They said the drugs had a street value of around $100,000.
Tewksbury Police Chief Tim Sheehan said the child was extremely close to the dangerous substances when Tewksbury, Billerica, and State Police, as well as DEA agents, busted in around 6 a.m. Thursday morning.
"When they executed the search warrant and entered into the apartment, the nine-month-old was in Cristina's arms, just inside the door, and within probably twelve feet of where they located 86 grams of a product that we believe is fentanyl," Sheehan told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz.
The Department of Children and Families was notified, and the child was taken to a relative's home.
Sheehan calls this a significant bust in a community that has seen 90 overdose cases this year--13 of which were fatal.
"This is something that will really help us, I believe, make a dent in this type of activity," he said.
If any of the three make bail, the judge ordered they surrender their passports and wear a GPS monitor at all times.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports