Lynn man indicted for cocaine trafficking

SALEM – An Essex County grand jury reviewing criminal cases Wednesday handed up a single indictment for drug trafficking against a Lynn man.Cesar Rivas, 31, of 43 Cottage St., #6, Lynn, is charged with trafficking over 14 grams of cocaine, a crime that may net him a minimum mandatory punishment of three years in state prison.The charge arises out of a search warrant at his home on Feb. 25 when police raided his apartment and reportedly seized about 26 grams of cocaine located in a basement storage area along with a bottle of inositol (used as a cutting agent), a digital scale, sandwich bags and a cell phone which was found in his apartment.The single indictment now moves the case from Lynn District Court, where Rivas has pleaded innocent, to Salem Superior Court, where he will be arraigned within a few weeks.Lynn Police Officer Timothy Ferrari along with members of the Essex County Drug Task Force and Middlesex Narcotics Unit spearheaded the investigation and arrest.Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan is prosecuting the case for the commonwealth.An indictment is not an indication of guilt, rather it is a legal process that allows a case to be transferred from District Court to Superior Court allowing for a more severe punishment.