After big drug bust, quiet weekend Monday, November 19, 2007 - Manchester Daily Express
Lengthy police sting led to many arrests
Three days after a citywide drug bust where law enforcement officials arrested 52 people, including 23 alleged drug dealers, Manchester police made no drug related arrests over the weekend, police said yesterday. Police said the majority of the calls they responded to on Friday and Saturday night were regarding alcohol-related incidents because it’s likely that Thursday’s roundup took many of the drug offenders off the streets.
Thursday’s sting was the result of a five-month drug crime initiative called Operation Drugs and Guns that partnered the city and state police’s special investigations units with the Attorney General’s New Hampshire drug task force as an extension of federally funded Operation Street Sweeper.
On Thursday, Nov. 15, Manchester police arrested a total of 52 people for suspected drug sale charges, and confiscated close to $300,000 worth of drugs and cash, including approximately 4.9 pounds of cocaine, more than 14.6 ounces of crack, 6,800 street bags (or 4.8 ounces) of heroin, more than 16.8 pounds of marijuana, 329 various prescription pills, 52 firearms and more than $61,700 in cash. The project, which was funded by the city, significantly interrupted the amount of drug trafficking in Manchester, as police seized drugs and arrested suspects, police said.
Police said there have been 290 undercover purchases made from 99 different sources, and 23 of them were picked up last week, police said. Police also arrested 22 suspects on state and federal warrants as a result of ongoing investigations on Thursday.
Manchester police also had help from national agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Last week’s search was aided by the U.S. Marshall’s office, U.S. Probation and Parole, Hillsborough County Sheriff, the Strafford County Sheriff, the Social Security Administration, and the Goffstown and Weare police departments.
And police said they aren’t done yet.
Those arrested face prosecution on drug charges both federally and at the state level, and police said the operation will continue, as future arrests are expected.
Those arrested Thursday on federal drug sales charges include: Alice Boudreau, 42, no known address; Rico Bermudez, 48, of 326 Amherst St.; Jose Carabello, 36, of 159 Douglas St.; Tim Demontier, 51, currently incarcerated at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections; Peter Loukedes, 40 of 1200 Bridge St.; Efrain Preez, 24, currently incarcerated at the New Hampshire state prison; Jose Perez, 34, of 16 Cindi Drive; Jamil Scott, 26, of 179 Beech St.; Janet Smith, 27, of 40 Sullivan St.; Christopher Varagianis, 31, currently incarcerated at the New Hampshire State Prison; Kelly Vietze, 38, of 120 Myrtle St.; and Jeffrey Williams, 35, currently incarcerated at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections.
And arrested on state drug sales charges were: Ryan Benjamin, 19, of 20 West River Road; Chad Bourque, 24, of 36 Holly Hill Farm in Weare; Tim Clough, 17, of 237 Central St.; Johan Duverge-Saldana, 25, of 133 Chestnut St.; Cassandra Hernandez, 24, of 18 Broadway St. in Pembroke; Joel Martin, 19, incarcerated at Hillsborough Country House of Corrections; Derek Pagliuca, 19, of 43 Independence Lane; Craig Proulx, 33, of 91 Warren St.; Jayda Ramirez, 36, of 241 Spruce St.; and Greg Sallah, 44, of 25 Crowley St.
During the arrest of Jamil Scott at 179 Beech St., police allegedly found four firearms, about one half pound of marijuana, several grams of crack, and other drug paraphernalia after searching the house on a warrant.
Police also arrested another man who was allegedly found in possession of marijuana. Greg Grebus, 26, also of 179 Beech St., was charged with possession of a controlled drug with the intent to distribute. Also, Tina Wadleigh, 25 of 285 Concord St., was arrested on an unrelated warrant for violating probation.
–Jennifer Nickulas
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