Two North Shore men were taken into custody Friday night and charged with operating what Peabody Police Chief Thomas Griffin called a “high-level” drug distribution network in the city.
Gary W. Cioffi Jr., 36, of 9 John Road, Peabody, and Marco A. Sosa, 28, of 2 Wheatland St., Salem, were arrested following a traffic stop on Lynnfield Street in Lynn. Police seized three and one half pounds of marijuana and a handgun from the vehicle.
A subsequent search of Cioffi’s Peabody home uncovered more than 100 pounds of pot, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and items used in the manufacturing, preparation, packaging, sale, and distribution of marijuana and THC-infused edibles. THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that produces the high sensation.
Detectives also seized a large quantity of THC vaping devices, pharmaceutical drugs, and cash.
Cioffi was charged with drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute a Class C drug. Sosa faces charges of possession with intent to distribute a Class D drug and child endangerment. One of the passengers in the motor vehicle included a woman who had a handgun and a 13-month-old infant.
An investigation was launched by the Peabody Police Department’s Drug Investigation Unit after they received complaints from residents who suspected illegal drug activity on John Road. Police said they received numerous calls of increased traffic and the odor of marijuana in the neighborhood.
On Friday night, detectives observed activities consistent with the sale and distribution of drugs in the area and stopped a vehicle from that address.
Griffin credited the hard work of police and detectives and thanked residents, whose cooperation in reporting suspicious activity, led police to make the arrests.
