Four people will face drug charges after a bust in Barre by several local law enforcement agencies and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Barre City Police say a lengthy investigations led to the execution of a search warrant on North Main Street sometime on Friday. Authorities did not offer any indication of when the search took place. However, they noted officers found crack cocaine, prescription pills, cash and other evidence.
Four suspects have been arrested:
- Sue Austin, 57, of Barre
- John Mason, 58, of Barre
- Shawn Braley, 40, of Barre
- Hector Lopez, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts
All four are charged with cocaine possession, fentanyl trafficking, possession of regulated drugs and selling drugs from a dwelling. Lopez alone is also charged with transporting regulated drugs into a detention facility. When Lopez was taken to Northeast Regional Correctional for processing, staff members reportedly discovered that he’d concealed drugs inside a body cavity.
Lopez was being held Saturday night on $25,000 bail and is due for arraignment in Barre on Monday. The three defendants from the Granite City have been released on citations. Austin and Mason are scheduled to appear in court on Monday, while Braley is due to appear on November 9.
