Feds bust drug, weapons traffickers in Saugus hotel

SAUGUS – The feds busted two people Wednesday at a Saugus hotel room for allegedly trafficking firearms and oxycodone through Peabody and Lynn.Krzysztof Koziol and Nicholas Cormier, 18, of 64 Avalon Drive, Peabody, were arrested by the Drug Enforcement Agency after allegedly arranging a narcotics transaction at the Red Roof Inn on Route 1.Shortly before their arrests, an undercover witness allegedly telephoned Koziol and asked for, “500 gallons of green paint” and 3,000 “10-by-10 tiles,” according to an affidavit from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The former reference is to 500 oxycodone tablets, which were green; while the latter reference is to 3,000 10 milligram Percocet tablets, authorities said.DEA agents had investigated the pair since January and conducted surveillance outside Koziol’s home and the hotel shortly before the arrests were made, according to the affidavit.Cormier allegedly drove Koziol to the hotel, where he allegedly emerged from the car with a backpack full of fake oxycodone pills on Wednesday afternoon.Koziol met the witness in a hotel room that had been tapped with audio equipment, authorities said. Koziol allegedly tried to pass off 3,000 oxycodone tablets – of which 2,900 were fake and only 100 were real.Oxycodone is an active ingredient in the prescription drugs OxyContin and Percocet, which are the highly addictive drugs the suspects allegedly sold.After previous drug purchases, the DEA says it tested the drugs bought from the suspects and confirmed the pills were authentic.According to the DEA, on Jan. 15, Cormier allegedly sold an undercover witness 100 OxyContin pills inside Hayward’s Restaurant on Lynnfield Street in Lynn for $3,800.On Feb. 19, an undercover witness met Cormier at 21 Stanwood St., Lynn, to purchase a .50 caliber magnum Taurus revolver and 15 rounds of ammunition for $850, authorities said. On March 31, a witness met Cormier at Hayward’s Restaurant and purchased two .40 caliber Smith and Wesson handguns with 49 rounds of ammunition for $1,400, according to the DEA.The witnesses were wearing recording devices during most of the transactions, the DEA said.Authorities say Cormier would purchase weapons in Maine and resell them in Massachusetts, but does not have a license to do so.After his arrest Wednesday, authorities say Cormier consented police to search his home, where they found three additional revolvers and ammunition. Authorities also say they found 52 OxyContin pills inside a safe.Authorities say Koziol transferred a backpack from an Audi S6 to a BMW parked outside his home. A few minutes later, Cormier pulled up in his Mercedes Benz, authorities said.Cormier allegedly exited his car and got into the driver’s seat of the BMW and Koziol got into the passenger seat. The two then drove to the Red Roof Inn where a drug transaction was arranged.Koziol was arrested inside the hotel room and Cormier was pulled over and arrested on Route 1.The suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and possession of oxycodone with intent to distribute. Cormier was additionally charged with unlicensed firearms and ammunition trafficking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Koziol was additionally charged with using a communication facility in commission of narcotics trafficking.Authorities say the undercover witnesses agreed to cooperate with the investigation in exchange for a reduction in jail sentences on narcotics cases against them.