Colleran sentenced to 4-5 years in state prison
Published on October 4th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - A May 2005 drug bust that Stoneham Police called at the time “the biggest Oxycontin bust in Stoneham history” has put the convicted drug dealer, Jonathan Lee Colleran, formerly of 135 Elm Street, behind bars for the next 4-5 years.
On Tuesday, September 26, 2006, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Nancy Staffier-Holtz sentenced a Stoneham man to 4-5 years in State Prison at MCI Cedar Junction in connection with possession of roughly $18,000 worth of OxyContin pills in his bedroom safe at the Elm Street home of his parents, as well as $37,000 in cash. All tolled, Stoneham Police recovered 260 OxyContin pills as well as several other illegal prescription drugs.
Colleran entered a change of plea from not guilty to guilty, and was sentenced Tuesday on possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.
In April 2005, the Stoneham Police Department received information of alleged drug activity at Colleran’s Stoneham residence, leading to a joint investigation by the Stoneham Police Department and State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Narcotics Unit. On May 11, 2005, after a month-long investigation, police executed a search warrant at Collernan’s Stoneham apartment. Police encountered Colleran outside the residence, and found him to be in possession of OxyContin. After a brief struggle with police, Colleran was placed under arrest. Upon further search of the residence police seized approximately 260 OxyContin tablets, as well as other prescription drugs, and over $37,000 in cash.
Colleran was arraigned on May 12, 2005, in Woburn District Court, where he entered a plea of not guilty and was ordered to be held on $15,000 cash bail. On September 8, 2005, Colleran was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury. He was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court on October 6, 2005, where he entered a plea of not guilty, and was ordered held on $15,000 cash bail. On Tuesday, September 26, 2006, Colleran changed his plea from not guilty to guilty and was sentenced in Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge. He began serving his sentence that same day at MCI-Cedar Junction. The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Rourke Donnelly.
“This was a good bust for us,” said a Stoneham Police source at the time of the arrest. “We had received many anonymous complaints about people coming in and out of the residence dating back to September, and this is a guy we had been looking at for a while.”
Colleran was originally arrested on charges of trafficking over 28 grams of a Class C substance, illegal possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute (Subloxen, a Methadone-type drug used to kick the Oxycontin habit), and illegal possession of a Class C substance (Xanax) with intent to distribute. Stoneham Police approached his Elm Street home on the morning of May 11 armed with a Search Warrant obtained by Stoneham Police, and found Colleran allegedly in the midst of a drug deal on his property. A struggle ensued between Colleran and police forces from the narcotics unit and the towns of Stoneham, Winchester, and Medford. A comprehensive search of the property revealed 195 80-milligram Oxycontin tablets with a street value of approximately $80, 61 40-milligram Oxycontin tablets, as well as the other prescription drugs – a total weight of 60.9 grams of the highly-addictive painkiller.
According to Stoneham Police, Colleran had a four-foot pole with a knife blade attached to it – essentially a homemade bayonet – next to his bed during a search of the Elm Street home, but was not charged with possession of the weapon.
Police officials also reportedly had to use pepper spray on Colleran’s Pit Bull Terrier which snapped at officers as they attempted to make the arrest. Police officials eventually subdued the dog, who was left unharmed with Colleran’s parents. Anyone with information regarding the sales of Oxycontin or other prescription drugs is encourage to contact the State Police/Middlesex DA tip line at 1-866-OXY-TIPS.
Material from a Middlesex District Attorney press release was utilized in this report.
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