Man arrested in Lawrence after fentanyl stash found behind hidden door
LAWRENCE, Mass. (WWLP) – A Dominican national living in Lawrence was arrested and charged for alleged drug trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine supplied by a cartel.
Charging documents state that in January 2023, investigators began looking into a North Shore-based drug trafficking organization that was allegedly being supplied drugs by a cartel in Sinaloa, Mexico.
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During the investigation, detectives identified 33-year-old Leury Then Rosario as one of the drug traffickers operating in Lawrence. Rosario was arrested on February 25, and search warrants were promptly executed by officers at his home and at his alleged stash location.
The stash location was described as a multiservice business with a back room allegedly containing two casino-style poker tables and video poker machines. The room was also said to have a high-end surveillance system.
Court filings said that the basement storage room of the stash location contained two large, locked storage boxes that contained drug equipment and paraphernalia, scales, and blenders.
Law enforcement also found a small remote control that, when pressed, sounded and alarm, opened a trap wall, and revealed a hidden closet.
In this hidden room, the following items were found:
Over 16 kilograms of counterfeit pills, in various colors and sizes, containing controlled substances;
A brick-shaped object of a white powdery substance, weighing approximately one kilogram, that field tested positive for the presence of cocaine
Over two kilograms of suspected fentanyl pressed into 10-gram units
Over two kilograms of suspected fentanyl powder in large bags
Over 25 pounds of loose powders in various colors, believed to include cutting agents used with narcotics
A commercial pill press used to press counterfeit pills, including over 50 pill die casts with designs to counterfeit Percoet, Xanax, Adderall and others
Multiple kilogram presses, as well as branded stamps used to imprint logos onto kilograms of narcotics
One Glock Model 33 .357 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition
One High Point .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with eight rounds of ammunition
One Ruger .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition
Two Glock-style personally made firearms (also known as 'ghost guns') with no serial numbers loaded with 10 and nine rounds of ammunition respectively
One AR-15 style rifle with a .458 SOCOM caliber, loaded with eight rounds of ammunition
Rosario was charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and methamphetamine. He was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 7.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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