BY GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — When police attempted to serve Luis Calo-Mercado with a warrant Monday, they noticed drugs in plain view, and now he also faces heroin trafficking charges.
The Lynn Police Warrant Squad knocked on the door of Mercado’s home at 33 Lincoln St. to arrest him for a narcotics transaction. In that case, the buyer was apprehended while Mercado escaped, Lynn Police Lt. Rick Donnelly said.
After Mercado, 38, let police into the apartment, officers told him they had a warrant for his arrest and noticed several twists of marijuana on the coffee table. Before taking him into custody, Mercado had to get dressed in the bedroom, where police saw more drugs, including several suboxone strips and twists of a brown powdery substance, believed to be heroin, Donnelly said.
Officers also saw Sagrario Matos, 41, of Lynn, in the kitchen, and discovered there was an outstanding warrant for her arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor. She was additionally charged with being present where heroin is kept, Donnelly said.
Based on seeing drugs in plain view, police secured the apartment and got a search warrant from Lynn District Court. Officers seized 35.5 grams of heroin inside a bucket in the kitchen, twists of cocaine, oxycodone pills, bags of marijuana, 6.4 grams of crack inside the refrigerator, nine strips of suboxone, $5,398 in cash and drug paraphernalia, Donnelly said.
Mercado was also charged with three counts of drug possession with intent to distribute a Class B (cocaine, oxycodone and suboxone) drug.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley
