Waltham Heroin Dealing: Four Men Accused of Selling Around City

BOSTON – Three Essex County men and a fourth from Lowell were arrested Thursday morning and face federal drug charges for selling heroin throughout the town of Waltham, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In U.S. District Court, Richard R. Fernandez, 26, believed to reside in Lawrence; Jose C. Torres, 27, believed to reside in Haverhill; Angel G. Rivera Serrano, 36, believed to reside in Haverhill - all from Essex County - and Luis Humberto Arias Lara, 41, believed to reside in Lowell, were charged with heroin distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

According to court documents, the suspected are accused of distributing heroin in and around Waltham over the course of several months. Each of the defendants allegedly sold drugs to an undercover investigator.

Court-authorized searches were conducted Thursday morning at two residences and two alleged "stash houses" yielding approximately $200,000 in cash and approximately 1.5 kilograms of narcotics.

The charges of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin each provide for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million, or twice the value of the funds involved, whichever is greater.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal of the District of Massachusetts; and members of the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force, which is composed of the Waltham, Watertown, Newton, Arlington, Belmont, Weston and Lexington Police Departments, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Winkler of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.