Andover Police Arrest Three Alleged Drug Dealers, Seize 137 Grams of Heroin, After Investigation

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Andover Police Arrest Three Drug Dealers After Investigation

Detectives Served Search Warrant Wednesday Morning, Finding Cash, Heroin, and a Firearm

ANDOVER —  Police Chief Patrick Keefe is pleased to announce that Andover Police Detectives, after an investigation into reported heroin dealing in town, today served a search warrant that resulted in three arrests.

As a result of the investigation and this morning’s search:

• LUIS E. HICIANO, AGE 22, OF ANDOVER was arrested and charged with Trafficking Over 100 Grams of Heroin, Possession of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, and Distribution of Heroin
• JOSELIN ELIEZAR REINA-MERCEDES, AGE 23, OF METHUEN was arrested and charged with Trafficking Over 100 Grams of Heroin
• LUZ D. MADE, AGE 21, OF LAWRENCE was arrested and charged with Trafficking Over 100 Grams of Heroin

All three suspects face a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence for the trafficking charge if convicted.

“Today, the Andover Police Department dealt a major setback to the drug trade in our region,” Chief Keefe said. “Heroin is a serious problem, affecting nearly every community in the commonwealth, but today Andover has sent a clear message to those looking to sell their poisons on our community: Take your business elsewhere.”

Detectives had intelligence that a firearm was present in the apartment, and the department decided to call in the NEMLEC SWAT Team to help serve the search warrant.

Officers entered the home, an apartment on Bullfinch Drive, at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. The warrant was served successfully, and no one was injured.

Inside, officers located about 20 bags, totaling 137 grams of heroin, a 9mm Berretta handgun, and more than $24,000 in cash. Some of the heroin appeared to be packaged for individual sale and use. The three suspects were arrested at the scene.

Heroin and opioid use, sale, and overdose are leading public safety concerns in Massachusetts. Health officials say opioid overdose is one of the leading causes of death in Massachusetts, and Governor Deval Patrick declared it a public health crisis in March.

No community has been immune to the problem. The Andover Police Department has attacked heroin and opioids head-on with a mixture prevention, treatment, and enforcement measures. It has now arrested a total of five alleged heroin dealers this year. Two other suspected dealers were arrested in January. The department has also made more than four dozen arrests for Class A Drug possession, which puts Andover on pace to have more heroin/opioid arrests this year than any other year in recent memory.

The department has also hosted overdose prevention training and Narcan administration courses for the public and recently installed a MedReturn drug drop

“We are aggressively enforcing the drug laws, but at the same time, we are mindful that the nation is not simply going to arrest its way out of the heroin crisis,” said Andover Police Commander Charles E. Heseltine. “We must go after heroin at the sources and on the streets, but we also choose to take steps to prevent drug use in the first place and to prevent the loss of life.”

The three suspects in today’s raid were taken to the Andover Police Department for booking and will likely be arraigned in Lawrence District Court later today.

###