Drug arrest suspect burned fingerprints off

REVERE – Authorities had to use facial recognition software and photos from the Registry of Motor Vehicles to identify a drug trafficking suspect who previously burned his fingertips and was arrested in a Shirley Avenue home Thursday night, authorities said.The result of the burns made it impossible for police to obtain fingerprints from the suspect, identified by Revere police as Rafael L. Cesareo, 31, of 139 Alley St., Lynn.State Police investigators had to use the mentioned technology to narrow down the identity of the suspect, according to published reports. The suspect also bares a resemblance to a man named Jonathan Caez, 31, the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office said.DA Dan Conley said that criminals often go thorough great efforts to hide from the law but called this type of self-mutiliation “rare” in a published report.Also arrested in the drug bust at 54 Shirley Ave. Thursday were Eliezer Sanchez-Correa, 28 and Retnaldo Martino, 35, who both live at that address.The Item first reported on Saturday that undercover police officers made several purchases of narcotics from the three suspects over the past two weeks, according to Revere police.According to Revere Police Capt. Michael Murphy, police made an undercover purchase from Sanchez-Correa shortly before the arrests were made Thursday night.Shortly after the arrest of Sanchez-Correa, police executed a search warrant at 54 Shirley Ave., where officers observed several narcotics and related paraphernalia in plain view, police said.”While waiting on the warrant, two of the accused, Martino and Cesareo, arrived,” Murphy said. “They offered a bogus story as to their interest at 54 Shirley Ave. and officers soon learned that they were associated with the narcotics distribution.”Police said officers seized a large amount of cash, cocaine, heroin and drug paraphernalia.All three suspects are facing a long list of charges, including trafficking cocaine and heroin.