Lynn man facing slew of drug, weapons charges

LYNN – A Lynn man is in jail facing a slew of drug and weapons charges, according to records from Lynn District Court.Police arrested Jeff Raphael, 28, of 629 Eastern Ave., #23 at 9:15 p.m. Thursday night and charged him with three counts of possession to distribute a class B drug (cocaine, suboxone), conspiracy to violate drug law, unlawful improper storage of a firearm, unlicensed possession of ammunition, firearm in the use of a felony, possession of a firearm without an FID card, trafficking in cocaine over 18 grams, possession to distribute a class A drug (heroin) and possession to distribute a class D drug (hashish).Raphael was sent to Essex County Jail after Lynn District Court Judge Matthew Machera ordered him held on $25,000 bail at his arraignment Friday.According to police reports, undercover officers on the Lynn Drug Task Force saw a woman walk into a parking lot on Western Avenue that is a “location where drug deals take place and numerous arrests have been made” by the task force.The woman spoke with a male later identified as Raphael, the report stated, and another woman who was driving a Subaru. The report states officers watched Raphael and the woman approach the woman in the Subaru and “interact” with her. The report states that “through our training and experience we believe that a drug transaction had occurred ?”Police entered the parking lot and approached Raphael and arrested him and the woman.After obtaining a search warrant for Raphael’s apartment, the report states police found the following items: a loaded Lorcin .380 handgun containing seven rounds of .380 ammunition, a digital scale, $910 in cash, two clear plastic bags containing approximately 30 grams of a powdery substance believed to be cocaine, two clear plastic bags containing approximately 10 grams of a powdery substance believed to be heroin, five orange-colored pills believe to be suboxone, one white pill believe to be oxycodone, six green pills believed to be Clonazepam and one twist of a rock-like substance believed to be hashish.Raphael, whom the report notes has a tattoo of money bags on his right arm, is due back in court on June 15.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].