Man nabbed by Peabody Police indicted on drug charges

SALEM – A Mattapan man police say they caught with approximately 150 grams of heroin as he entered an Aberdeen Avenue home in Peabody earlier this year was indicted Friday afternoon by an Essex County grand jury.Rafael Maldonado, 28, of 1465 Blue Hill Ave., #1, Mattapan, is charged with two counts of trafficking over 28 grams of heroin.On April 28 police arrested Maldonado as he was walking into a home at 14 Aberdeen Ave., in Peabody. Authorities claim he was delivering the heroin to that address which apparently had been ordered by Joanna Snyder.From his person police confiscated four fingers of heroin, approximately 46 grams. A search of his 2001 Jeep Cherokee revealed another 96 grams of heroin in a “hide” inside the back seat of the vehicle, according to reports. Police also seized $89 in cash from Maldonado and his cell phone.In total, police said they seized 152 grams of heroin with a street value of more than $18,000.Maldonado and Snyder?s arrest followed a month-long investigation.Peabody detectives Eric Ricci and David Murphy made the arrest.Maldonado is facing a 14-year mandatory state prison term if convicted on the two charges.The indictments now move the case from Peabody District Court, where Maldonado had pleaded not guilty, to Salem Superior Court, where he will be re-arraigned within a few weeks.In the meantime, he remains held at the Middleton Jail on $25,000 cash bail.Assistant District Attorney Melissa Woodard is prosecuting the case for the state.Snyder, 47, is also under indictment for similar narcotic charges stemming from her arrest on April 28 when police said they seized eight grams of heroin during a search of her Aberdeen Avenue home.Indictments are a legal process that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court allowing for a more severe punishment. It is not an indication of guilt.