Lynn man charged with trafficking pills, cocaine

LYNN – A judge ordered a city man held on $50,000 cash after officers recovered hundreds of illegal pills and more than 100 grams of suspected cocaine from his Market Square business, according to court documents.Richard R. Garofalo, 51, of 55 Herschel St., was arrested and charged with trafficking Class B cocaine, more than 100 grams; a drug violation near a school, two counts; possession of Class B buprenorphine; and trafficking Class A drugs, more than 28 grams; at 7:14 a.m. Wednesday.He was arraigned on the charges Wednesday in Lynn District Court, according to court records.Police executed search warrants Wednesday for The Corner Shop at 70 Market Square, the Herschel Street address and Garofalo, according to a report by Lynn Police Officer Timothy Nerich.Officers reported finding two wads of cash totaling $6,458, three individual packets of suspected cocaine as well as drug notes among Garofalo’s possessions when they saw him walking his dog on Wednesday, according to court documents.Garofalo accompanied officers to the store and led them to two unlabeled prescription bottles containing 104 pills of suspected Oxycodone and 100 pills of suspected Oxycontin, respectively, according to the report.Police also reported recovering five suspected Buprenorphine and a canister of Lay’s Stax Potato Chips. Officers reported finding 175 individual packets of suspected cocaine that weighed a total of approximately 112 grams and $3,300 in the canister. Police recovered more than $9,000 and notes from a safe at the store, according to the report.A safe at the Herschel Street address contained $96,700, according to police.Prosecutors requested Garofalo be held on $250,000 cash bail, according to court documents. Judge Ellen Flatley ordered $50,000 cash bail and ordered Garofalo to return to court Oct. 2, according to court documents.An attorney appointed to represent Garofalo at bail hearings could not be reached Thursday evening.