Major Alleged Opiate Trafficker Arraigned, Pills Seized

WOBURN - Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that Steve Pierre, 27, of Boston, was arraigned today in Cambridge District Court on charges of Trafficking in a derivative of Opium over 200 grams and with conspiracy to traffick. Judge James Wexler set bail at $25,000 cash with conditions to include that Pierre surrender his passport and not travel out of state without court approval. The next scheduled court hearing for Pierre is Wednesday, April 1.

"Today, after months of careful and painstaking investigation, we can announce the arrest of what we allege is a major trafficker in prescription opiate painkillers, with a street value well over $100,000." said District Attorney Ryan. "I want to congratulate the cooperative effort of the Massachusetts State Police and their counterparts in law enforcement. We are committed to stopping the flow of dangerous drugs into Middlesex County, and to prosecuting people who would bring these drugs into the Commonwealth."

Authorities say Pierre was arrested after a four month joint investigation between the United State Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

On November 19, 2014, the USPIS notified the District Attorney's Office about a series of suspect packages that were being sent by FedEx and UPS from Los Angeles to a specific individual who had rented a mail box at the UPS store located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That individual, subsequently identified as the defendant, would go to the UPS store and use a key to retrieve the packages.

Authorities say between November 19, 2014 and January 23, 2015, the defendant went to the UPS store in Cambridge at least seven times to retrieve a package from the rented postal box. Additionally, on two occasions, State Police observed the defendant go to other UPS stores and collect packages – including UPS stores in Brighton and Waltham. On February 23, the defendant allegedly picked up two packages from the UPS store in Cambridge. Law enforcement officials then stopped the defendant in his vehicle. Police obtained a search warrant to search the vehicle and recovered approximately 4,000 pills believed to contain oxycodone, a potent opiate painkiller. A second search warrant executed at the defendant's home revealed 2,000 additional suspected oxycodone pills. In addition, authorities recovered from their search of the residence three bags containing approximately 50 grams of cocaine, and $37,000.00 in U.S. Currency.

This case is being investigated by the United State Postal Inspection Service, Massachusetts State Police, and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office Special Investigations Unit. The Massachusetts State Police Community Action Team and K-9 and the Medford Police Department assisted in the investigation.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney William Freeman.