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MANSFIELD - Police say a Boston man arrested April 16 was dealing cocaine and heroin to customers at an apartment complex off Route 106 in East Mansfield.

Danilo Santos, 40, of Boston, was arrested about 5:30 p.m. outside the Mansfield Meadows apartments on Bonney Lane after a month-long investigation by detectives of the Northern Bristol County Drug Task Force.

Mansfield Detective Sgt. Sam Thompson said Santos struggled with police and had to be physically removed from his car, a 2002 Chrysler Sebring, which was seized along with $1,300 cash.

Thompson said police found about $170 worth of heroin and $3,000 worth of crack and powder cocaine, some of it in a "hide" under the floor boards of the driver's side portion of the car.

The "hide," a secret compartment, was found with the help of a Randolph police dog named Nero. Police also seized Santos' cell phone, and believe he was driving to Mansfield from Boston to make deliveries to customers at the apartment complex, Thompson said.

"We received a lot of anonymous complaints about drug activity at the Mansfield Meadows complex," Thompson said.

Police said hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia were found in trash bins at the complex during the investigation.

Police confirmed suspicions about the drug dealing by setting up surveillance outside the apartment where they allegedly saw Santos make drug sales to customers who met with him in the parking lot, Thompson said.

Santos was ordered held without bail, pending arraignment today in Attleboro District Court.

Thompson said a FBI check on his fingerprints revealed Santos, a native of the Dominican Republic, has seven aliases.

Police are continuing the investigation into his background with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to check on his resident status, Thompson said.

Santos was charged with trafficking in cocaine, distribution of heroin, a school zone drug violation and resisting arrest.

The investigation was led by Thompson and Mansfield detectives Michael Ellsworth, Frank Archer and Paul Hargadon.

They were assisted by Mansfield officers Roy Bain, Nicole Newport and Kenneth Wright and detectives from Norton and Attleboro, who belong to the Northern Bristol County Drug Task Force. DAVID LINTON can be reached at 508-236-338 or at dlinton@thesunchronicle.com.