K9 teams from Seekonk and Brockton helped nab a suspected drug trafficker who was allegedly distributing fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone, as well as other narcotics, state police said Thursday.
The suspect, Bestlee Vazquez, 30, who has addresses in Somerset and Fall River, is being held without bail on a fugitive warrant, according to court records and state police.
Vazquez was arrested on a warrant Monday in a joint investigation by a state police drug task force, Somerset police, Fall River detectives and the K9 units, according to state police.
After executing a search warrant on Tuesday for a car used by the suspect, police say they seized hundreds of suspected fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone, over 100 grams of powder alleged to be fentanyl and over 500 grams of cocaine.
Police also executed search warrants for residences in Somerset and Fall River used by Vazquez, where a 9mm pistol and ammunition were found, state police said.
The investigation was initiated in February by the South Unit of the State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction and Enforcement Team.
The narcotics unit and police in Somerset and Fall River suspected Vazquez of distributing fentanyl pills by passing them off as oxycodone as well as other narcotics in the greater Fall River area.
On Monday, as investigators conducted surveillance of the target, they learned of information that led them to arrest Vazquez on child endangerment charges.
In a fire pit outside the Somerset residence, investigators saw smoldering objects. Burned bags recovered from the fire pit were field-tested and were positive for the presence of cocaine, according to state police.
Vazquez faces charges of trafficking fentanyl, trafficking cocaine, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, child endangerment and causing a minor to distribute narcotics, according to court records and state police.
A probable cause hearing was scheduled March 30 in Fall River District Court.
David Linton may be reached at 508-236-0338.
