MARLBORO POLICE TARGET DRUG TRADE'S MERCHANTS

"Good Information' Helps Detectives Make a Bust

Drug deals don't necessarily happen in dark alleys late at
night.

To the untrained eye, activity in a local supermarket parking lot
during the middle of the day can appear to be nothing more than two
friends catching up with what's been happening in their lives. But
there is also a chance a drug deal is going down.

It's the job of the detectives in the Police Department's narcotics
division to know the difference.

"Basically, from the time they wake up in the morning to the time they
go to bed at night is when they deal," Detective Lt. Arthur C.
Brodeur said of the drug dealers who push their goods in the city.

While the city is relatively free of major types of drug activity, the
circulation of cocaine and heroin has increased over the past few
years, said Lt. Brodeur, who is head of all investigations in the
detective bureau, including narcotics.

In March, detectives seized what investigators called the largest
amount of cocaine - 519 grams - they have seen in the past 20 years.
Mauricio Patino, 33, of 25 Oxford Park, Boston, was arrested and is
facing drug charges in Middlesex Superior Court.

Police target drug dealers who come in from Worcester, Boston, Lowell
and Lawrence and make deliveries in the city. They allege Mr. Patino
made several deliveries in the city at different times.

"People have always been going to Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence, Boston
and Framingham to pick up drugs and make deliveries here," Lt. Brodeur
said. "It's always been like that. What happens is, if you have good
information, you start picking people up."

Lt. Brodeur said he believes some dealers set up shop here, but remain
under the radar because they sell outside the city.

"I am sure we have big drug dealers in the city who don't do business
here," he said. "That is why we don't find out about them."

On Thursday, detectives arrested a Worcester man, who they say has
made drug deliveries in the city before. They said they seized 12.5
grams of cocaine. Samuel Melendez, 28, of Worcester was charged Friday
in Marlboro District Court with cocaine possession with intent to
distribute and cocaine possession. He posted $1,000 cash bail and is
scheduled to return to court next month.

With the aid of Xsara, Westboro's police dog, investigators were able
to find the stash of drugs hidden in a Velcro bag underneath the left
rear wheel well of Mr. Melendez's car.

As the drug trade continues to move ahead, dealers become a little
craftier in trying to conceal their stash from police, narcotics
Detective Stephan W. Lupien said. A common way for dealers to keep
their drugs from common view is called a "hide," which is simply a
secret spot in a car where dealers tuck away their goods.

Car door panels, hollowed-out back seats, ceilings, dashboards -
anywhere drugs could possibly be stored, these guys use it, Lt.
Brodeur said of dealers.

"Some of the hides are very sophisticated," he said. Some dealers have
custom-made hides, which are often operated by hydraulics and lined
with metal, he said. A pop of a button could open the dash and the
dealer's secret stash. It is illegal for auto body shops to do this
type of work in some states, such as New York, but Massachusetts has
no laws to stop such work from being done, Detective Lupien said.

But despite the technological advances, Lt. Brodeur said, the drug
dealers are not getting any wiser.

"They are not getting smarter. They are all dumb," said Lt. Brodeur,
who has run the narcotics division since the mid-1970s. "They just
think they are smart and then they get caught."

Passing along information about certain types of hides, drugs or other
information to police and law enforcement agencies throughout the
country helps every department fight the war on drugs, Detective
Lupien said.

"The minute they find something new to use, like hides, we find out
about it and we pass it on," he said. "The difference is, we share our
information with other departments. We learn about it hopefully
quicker than they use it."

While most of the dealers in the city are street level and sometimes
are drug users who push a little on the side, the dope dealers coming
in to make deliveries are only in it for the money, Lt. Brodeur said.

"They're just making money off of people who have a weakness for
drugs," Lt. Brodeur said. "All they are in it for is the money."

A lot of these guys set business hours, too, he said. For them dealing
is not something on the side, but full-time work, Lt. Brodeur said.

"Twelve-to-8, 10-to-6 - and they won't deliver outside their hours,"
he said. "A lot of dealers won't even answer their pager or cell phone
until certain hours."

Some dealers, such as the ones detectives have seen in the city, live
in Section 8 subsidized housing and collect government checks while
enjoying amenities others can't afford.

"They have big-screen televisions, computers and video game systems,"
Detective Lupien said of the dealers he has seen living in Section 8
subsidized housing.

The three members of the department's narcotics division - Lt. Brodeur
and Detectives Lupien and John A. Manning Jr. - rely on information
and surveillance.

Sometimes they go through cold or hot spells, but when a big bust is
set up, dealers get rattled, Lt. Brodeur said.

Police from the city and other area towns capped off a 10-month
investigation in December dubbed "Operation Leopard II." Marlboro
police booked 23 people on various drug charges, including
distribution of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and Ecstasy.

The dealers came from Marlboro, Westboro, Natick, Boxboro, Milford and
Clinton, but were all charged with dealing drugs in Marlboro.

Those types of busts scatter the dealers for a while, but someone is
always there ready to take their place, Lt. Brodeur said.

Surveillance was essential in Operation Leopard II, as it is in other
drug busts, the detectives said. Detective Manning's forte is
surveillance, which has earned him the nickname "The Shadow," after
the superhero character. Detective Manning is able to get close
without detection, his co-workers said.

"Jack (Detective Manning) is excellent in surveillance," Lt. Brodeur
said. "You have to have patience, which is what he has. He is always
right there. That is why we call him "The Shadow.'"

While Detective Manning is methodical and keeps going, Detective
Lupien works at a fast rate, getting things done quickly, Detective
Lupien said. The mix of the two works, Lt. Brodeur said.

Both detectives are allowed to cultivate their own leads and conduct
their own investigations, while keeping the administrators apprised of
their movements. They do it right, understand the laws and know how
far they can go, said Lt. Brodeur, noting that he hates to see a drug
dealer go free.