TWO FENTANYL CASES IN ONE DAY
CASE #1 – $1.2M in Fentanyl Confiscated in Methuen
Methuen Police have taken 15 kilos (approximately 32lbs) of the drug called fentanyl and arrested a New York man on Monday, after a 911 caller told police that a man in a taxi cab was seen with a gun. Methuen Police Lt. Pappalardo told The Valley Patriot that the police searched the individual around 8:15am and found 15 bags of fentanyl in a duffle bag with a street value of $1.2M. Lt Pappalardo says that the bags confiscated were labeled “China White”.
Lt. Pappalardo says that they are currently charging 33 year old Robinson Rojas-Rosario 33, years old from queens from Queens New York with trafficking fentanyl. He will be arraigned in Lawrence district court Tuesday.
Rojas-Rosario is not known to police in Methuen and could face life in prison.
CASE #2 BABY EXPOSED TO FENTANYL
The Methuen Police Department is investigating an incident in which a 10-month-old baby was exposed to fentanyl.
At approximately 12:28 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, Methuen Police were dispatched to a residence on Treetop Way for a report of a 10-month-old child not breathing.
Upon arrival, first responders immediately began treating the baby before transporting her to Lawrence General Hospital where she stopped breathing twice and had to be revived by hospital staff. The child was later flown to Tufts Medical Center via MedFlight for further treatment.
Hospital tests indicate that the baby had fentanyl in her system.
“The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries,” Mayor Zanni said. “We must continue to be vigilant in ensuring that children do not have access to harmful substances and to do everything we can to fight the disease of addiction.”
At this time, the baby remains in stable condition. The Department of Children and Families has been notified of the situation.
“This is an extremely unfortunate situation in which a dangerous drug has ended up in the wrong hands and placed a baby’s life in danger,” Chief Solomon said. “Our main goal now is to find out how this substance ended up in the child’s system.”
This incident remains under investigation by the Methuen Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Detectives.