Two Lynn men plead not guilty in massive cocaine bust case

SALEM – Two Lynn men who each face a mandatory 15 years in prison after being arrested during a major drug bust in September in which $175,000 worth of cocaine was seized remain in custody at the Middleton Jail after pleading not guilty Monday.Francklin Coplin, 30, of 20 Neptune Blvd., and Francisco Carmona, 41, of 604 Essex St., pleaded not guilty in Salem Superior Court to trafficking over 200 grams of cocaine before Judge David A. Lowy.Carmona is held on $75,000 bail while Coplin?s bail was set at $150,000, but his defense lawyer may petition for a bail review at another court hearing.Assistant District Attorney Kim M. Faitella said the charges against the men stemmed from their arrest on Sept. 24.Police, acting on information, went to 121 Henry Ave. to arrest Emmanual Hernandez, 24, on firearm charges. They set up surveillance and observed Hernandez get into the back seat of a white Jeep Cherokee.Police stopped the vehicle just before 4 p.m. on Washington Street. As they approached, they observed the front seat passenger, later identified as Carmona, who appeared to push something under the seat.A blue bag containing five kilos of brick cocaine was found in the front of the vehicle and an additional bag of brick cocaine was located in the back seat, Faitella said in her pitch for a $250,000 cash bail on Carmona.The estimated value of the cocaine is $175,000, Faitella said.Coplin was the driver of the vehicle and Hernandez a passenger in the back.Police then went to Coplin?s home where they found more cocaine and money.The landlord said Coplin had been living there for the last nine months.A review of the apartment surveillance tap at his apartment revealed him carrying a blue bag from the apartment before his arrest, Faitella reported.Carmona?s lawyer Russell Sobelman asked for $25,000 saying his client was only in the vehicle because Coplin was giving him a ride to his dentist.He said he is married, has two children, works as an automobile detailer and he cited his solid roots in the local community.Coplin?s lawyer Rebecca Whitehill told Lowy she was not prepared to argue bail for her client at this time because she needed time to review the reports and investigation concerning the case, which the judge granted.Their case was continued to Jan. 9 for a pretrial conference.