Stoneham High student involved in drug bust
Published on November 10th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - A pair of Stoneham arrests by a local drug dragnet may be a harbinger of things to come, as a handful of neighboring towns have pooled together their narcotics units — in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency — to lend surveillance and police presence to targeted areas of drug activity. The drug force, calling themselves the Eastern Middlesex Initiative (EMI) Drug Task Force consists of officers from Stoneham, Somerville Malden, Medford, Winchester and Everett as well as the state police, and routinely make 5-10 arrests on any given sweep through the adjoined communities.
“It’s a great idea because it allows us to have a much larger police presence in areas where we think there drug transactions may be taking place,” said Stoneham Police Lt. Rick McCarthy, alluding to several local areas in very close proximity to major highways and, consequently, a fast and easy getaway. “When we can get seven or eight police officers out there at night, it really augments our abilities.”
The collective unit of drug officers travel from town to town in any given night, never staying in one place all evening and constantly changing their locations within the town.
According to Stoneham Police, a Stoneham High School student, Talia Mimmo, age 17, of 13 Broadway, Stoneham, was arrested in the Montvale Place parking lot in possession of “several hundred dollars worth of marijuana” as well as weight scales and other drug paraphernalia consistent with dealing narcotics. Mimmo was charged with illegal manufacturing/distribution of a Class D substance and illegal possession of a Class D substance with intent to distribute. Arrested along with Mimmo, Christopher Champa, age 19, of 385 Andover Street, Danvers, who also reportedly gave a Kingston, New Hampshire address to police, was charged with illegal possession of a Class D substance.
“It’s unfortunate that a Stoneham High School student was caught in the middle of this, but that’s something that we’re actively trying to get out of the schools,” said a Stoneham Police source.
Mimmo could face a range of penalties from school authorites, depending on the report issued by Stoneham Police to school authorites and the charges put forth.
“We’ll form a decision based on the danger that that student poses to the other members of the school community, and based on whether or not the crime was a felony will certainly be a factor.” said Ryan.
In a second bust that took place that evening, a second man was arrested as local police watched the suspect reportedly attempting to inject heroin in his vehicle parked at the Montvale Mobil gas station.
“We intervened and prevented him from injecting the drugs,” continued the Stoneham Police source of the Friday afternoon bust.
A further search of the vehicle revealed several hundred dollars in marijuana — packaged in a manner consistent with selling off the drugs. Alex Buccio, 38, of 150 Salem Street, Malden, was subsequently charged with possession of the narcotics. The man was charged with illegal possession of a Class D substance with intent to distribute and illegal possession of a Class A substance. “There have been probably a half-dozen arrest so far by the unit in Stoneham,” said McCarthy. “We know it’s out there, and this group is doing a good job of gathering information and getting some of the drugs off the street.”
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