Peabody cops make major drug arrests

PEABODY – Police said an undercover operation at a Carriage House Motel room netted thousands of dollars of Oxycodone on Friday, but not before an officer had a loaded gun pointed at his face by one of the suspects.According to a police department press release, Detective Sgt. Scott Richards was involved in an undercover operation and was about to purchase a large quantity of narcotics at a pre-determined location around 7:45 p.m. Friday.During the course of the transaction, the suspect drew a semi-automatic handgun and pointed it in the detective’s face, police said.”Richards was able to distract the suspect long enough to remove himself from the immediate area. Moments later, (police) located the suspect and took him into custody at gunpoint,” Lt. Dennis Bonaiuto said.Police identified the suspect as Earl Hart, 47, of who lists his address as room 74 of the Carriage House Motel at 109 Newbury St. Bonaiuto said Hart was in possession of 125 Oxycodone tablets and “several thousands of dollars in cash.”Three other suspects were arrested at the scene. They are identified as James Lee, 33, of 40 Federal St., Beverly, Hector O’Brien, 39, of 50 Dimock St., Roxbury and Ronald Cairnie, 19, of 35 Mclellan Road, Gorham, Maine.All of the suspects were charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws, attempting to commit armed robbery and attempting to traffic over 28 grams of Oxycodone. They are scheduled for arraignment this morning in Peabody District Court.Hart was additionally charged with several firearms violations, including being a three-time felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.Bonaiuto said police later searched Cairnie’s car using a drug-sniffing K-9 and discovered 200 additional Oxycodone pills worth $16,000. He was additionally charged with trafficking over 28 grams of Oxycodone.The incident marks the second time in five days that a Peabody officer was confronted by a suspect with a handgun.Around 12 p.m. Monday, patrolman Richard Cochran, 45, fatally shot Phillip Noto, 55, after Noto allegedly pulled a gun on the officer who was responding to Noto’s 60 Washington St. home for a domestic violence dispute. Noto remained in a coma until Friday morning when he died in the hospital.Bonaiuto said Friday’s drug arrests were the result of a multi-agency undercover investigation, which included the work of Peabody K-9 officer Eric Zawacki, Salem detectives Eric Connelly and Jack Doyle, Beverly detective Thomas Nolan, Peabody detectives Eric Ricci and Stephanie Lane, Peabody patrolman Mark Saia, Danvers detective Stephen Baldassare and ATF Special Agent Eric Kotchian.