Crack dealer sentenced to five years in prison

LAWRENCE – A Lynn man caught with more than 2 ounces of crack cocaine in a car a year ago is headed to prison for the next five years.Jeffrey Suazo, 19, of 9 Hesper St., went on trial earlier this week and was found guilty Friday afternoon of trafficking over 28 grams of cocaine by a Lawrence Superior Court jury.Jurors deliberated for about seven hours over two days before reaching their decision.Judge Leila R. Kern immediately imposed the minimum mandatory punishment under the law, five years in state prison.Assistant District Attorney Karen H. Hopwood presented evidence during the trial that on Aug. 6 police found more than 2 ounces of cocaine in a vehicle Suazo had keys to on his person.It was about 1 a.m., when Lynn Police Officers Robert Avery and Robert Sirois were called to Friend Street and discovered an unoccupied Pontiac Grand Prix parked in the road and blocking an entrance.At the same time, Suazo exited a building carrying $1,100 in cash. He was taken into custody for trespassing.During an inventory of the vehicle, police found two packages of crack cocaine inside a t-shirt in the console; one packet contained about 38 grams and the other contained 86 twists with 28-plus grams.The keys to the Pontiac were found on Suazo by police.A friend had brought the car to Suazo earlier for repairs, according to testimony.Suazo did not take the stand in his own defense. He claimed the vehicle was not his nor was the cocaine.The judge credited Suazo the 112 days he spent in jail while held on bail.