The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has announced that 16 individuals, two of whom are from Fall River, have been arrested on drug and firearms charges in an operation across Southeastern Massachusetts.
From the Attorney General’s Office
SIXTEEN CHARGED AFTER TAKEDOWN OF MAJOR FENTANYL AND COCAINE TRAFFICKING OPERATION IN SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Execution of Search Warrants at 20 Locations, a Majority of Which Were in Bristol County, Results in Seizure of Large Quantities of Cocaine, Fentanyl, Firearms, Ammunition, and U.S. Currency
BOSTON – A joint operation on Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, April 16, 2025, led by the Massachusetts State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Raynham Police Department, and prosecuted by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO), resulted in the execution of search warrants at 20 locations throughout Fall River, Taunton, Raynham, Norton, Pembroke, and Falmouth, and the arrests of 16 suspected fentanyl and cocaine distributors. During the searches, law enforcement seized approximately 2,360 grams of cocaine and 1,364 grams of fentanyl, 33 firearms, multiple high-capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and $109,355 in US currency.
The AGO’s State Police Detective Unit, the State Police’s Technical Services Unit, the Plymouth, Bristol and Norfolk County State Police Detective Units, Norton Police Department, Fall River Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration New Bedford Resident Office, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the West Bridgewater Police Department also provided valuable investigative assistance.
“Operation No Love” began in March of 2024, when members of CINRET-South, consisting of Troopers and Officers with Brockton and East Bridgewater Police Departments and a special agent with HSI, initiated a narcotics investigation into a drug trafficking organization involved in the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine in Bristol County.
Through investigative efforts, an undercover State Trooper was able to successfully conduct nine controlled drug purchases with a member of the drug trafficking organization. With the controlled purchases as a starting point, the investigative team used a combination of physical and electronic surveillance, toll analysis, and court-authorized electronic intercepts of target cell phones, to identify the organization’s hierarchy, primary subjects, communication devices, vehicles, methods of operation, and sources of narcotics supply.
As a result of information developed through these methods, investigators obtained search warrants for 11 locations in Taunton, two locations in Raynham, four locations in Fall River, and one location each in Falmouth, Pembroke, and Norton.
On the morning of Tuesday, April 15, the investigative team, comprised of nearly 200 law enforcement Troopers and Officers, conducted a coordinated operation and executed the warrants. As a result of the search warrants on April 15, investigators seized approximately 2280 grams of cocaine, 336 grams of fentanyl, 32 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and $109,355 in suspected drug proceeds. In addition, on April 16, Fall River Police Department and CINRET investigators received further information regarding one of the target locations in Taunton. Members of CINRET, assisted by a Narcotics K9 from the Quincy Police Department, returned to the location, conducted a subsequent search, and located a loaded Diamondback 9 mm pistol, 1028 grams of fentanyl and 80 grams of cocaine.
The following 16 individuals were arrested as a result of the investigation and arraigned in various District Courts:
Fall River District Court:
Yosef Ali, 49, of Fall River
Trafficking in Fentanyl, 100 grams or More (1 count)
Trafficking in Cocaine, 200 grams or More (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $75,000
Jean Carlos Castillo Mendoza, 44, of Fall River
Trafficking in Fentanyl, 100 grams or More (1 count)
Trafficking in Cocaine, 200 grams or More (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $150,000
Taunton District Court:
Jorge Santiago, 36, of Taunton
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance (2 counts)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $20,000
Jorge Arce, 46, of Taunton
Trafficking in Cocaine, 200 grams or More (1 count)
Trafficking in Fentanyl, 36 grams or More (1 count)
Possession of Ammunition without FID Card (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $100,000
Neftali Torres, 51, of Taunton
Trafficking in Cocaine, 100 grams or More (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $25,000
Christopher McLaughlin, 43, of Taunton
Trafficking in Cocaine, 18 grams or More (1 count)
Trafficking in Fentanyl, 18 grams or More (1 count)
Held without Bail
Shawn Roias, 35, of Taunton
Trafficking in Cocaine, 200 grams or More (1 count)
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class D Substance (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Possession of a Large Capacity Feeding Device (1 count)
Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony (1 count)
Bail set at $25,000
Courtney Whitmore, 27, of Taunton
Trafficking in Cocaine, 200 grams or More (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $10,000
Val Bettencourt, 50, of Taunton
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance, Subsequent Offense (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $10,000
Brayton Crites, 26, of Taunton
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class A Substance, Subsequent Offense (2 counts)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $20,000
Andrew Williams, 27, of Raynham
Trafficking in Cocaine, 18 grams or More (5 counts)
Trafficking in Cocaine, 36 grams or More (2 counts)
Distribution of a Class B Substance (3 counts)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $25,000
Sabrina Cohen, 27, of Taunton
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $1,000
Lucas Guimaraes, 29, of Norton
Trafficking in Cocaine, 36 grams or More (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $25,000
Brian Szakaly, 27, of Raynham
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony (1 count)
Bail set at $15,000
Falmouth District Court:
David Brasil, 45, of Falmouth
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class a Class B Substance (1 count)
Possession of a Class C Substance (1 count)
Conspiracy to Violate the Drug Laws (1 count)
Bail set at $500
Mary Hunt, 59, of Falmouth
Possession of a Class B Substance
Bail set at Personal Recognizance
Lucas Guimaraes will also be arraigned at a later date out of Attleboro District Court on the following charges:
Trafficking Cocaine, 100 grams or more (1 Count)
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony (1 Count)
Possession of a Firearm without FID Card (1 Count)
Possession of Ammunition without FID Card (1 Count)
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is at least 50-100 times more potent than morphine. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s 2024 Threat Assessment, “fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced, killing nearly 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023 alone.”
All of these charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Diana Fantasia and Deputy Division Chief Jen Kirshenbaum of the AGO’s Enterprise & Major Crimes Division.
The following law enforcement agencies provided valuable assistance for “Operation No Love:” Troopers with the State Police’s Special Tactical Operations (“STOP”) Team, Gang Unit, Narcotics Section, Community Action Team, Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, Troop D Detectives, Fraud ID Section, CINRET-North, and Detective Units assigned to the AGO and Plymouth, Bristol, Norfolk, and Cape and Island County District Attorney’s Office; agents with HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and members of the Brockton, East Bridgewater, Norton, Fall River, West Bridgewater, Falmouth, and Pembroke Police Departments.
