Chief Domenic J. DiMella
27 Hamilton Street
Saugus, MA 01906
For Immediate Release
Friday, Nov. 17, 2017
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Saugus Police Charge Man With Heroin Trafficking
SAUGUS — Chief Domenic J. DiMella reports that the Saugus Police Department arrested a man on multiple charges, including heroin trafficking, yesterday.
FRANK LAPORTA, AGE 33, OF SOMERVILLE, was arrested and charged with:
- Trafficking Heroin Over 100 Grams
- Possession of a Class C substance
- Resisting Arrest
- Malicious Destruction of Property over $250
At approximately 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16, Saugus Police were dispatched to the Avalon Motel for a report of a man destroying a room.
Upon arrival, officers located a man, later identified as LAPORTA, pacing outside of one of the motel rooms. Officers observed that the room had been torn apart, with the bed, a table and a chair all flipped over.
Officers began an on-scene investigation and asked LAPORTA to have a seat inside the room. As he sat, officers observed large bulges coming from the pockets of his shorts and noticed that LAPORTA continuously reached into his pockets in spite of instructions not to do so.
Police searched LAPORTA’s pockets and removed a knife and a needle, which was snagged on a plastic bag containing several smaller bags with a brown powder substance believed to be heroin and three yellow pills believed to be Clonazepam inside.
While checking LAPORTA’s pockets, officers observed a large bulge in his waistband and removed a large plastic bag that contained several bags of brown powder believed to be heroin. At that time, LAPORTA allegedly attempted to flee from the officers, who were able to subdue him and take him into custody without further incident.
The 155 grams of suspected heroin in LAPORTA’s possession has an estimated street value of $9,000.
LAPORTA was taken to an area hospital for a medical evaluation and was subsequently booked and held on $100,000 bail pending his arraignment, which was scheduled for this morning in Lynn District Court.
“I want to congratulate the Patrol Division and the officers involved in this case for their dedication and professionalism in apprehending this suspect,” Chief DiMella said. “They safely deescalated a potentially dangerous situation and seized a significant amount of deadly drugs.”
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