ROBERT MILLS, Sun Staff
Copyright 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Lowell Sun
LOWELL- A 22-year-old Lowell man who allegedly ran into his bedroom with a knife after police burst into his apartment Saturday was arrested at gunpoint just feet from his 2-day-old baby, whom police found on a bed with its mother.
Jose Lopez, 22, of 36 Burlington Ave., was held over the weekend on $25,000 cash bail after he was charged with distribution of heroin in a school zone and distribution of heroin following the incident Saturday afternoon.
Vice detectives went to Lopez’s apartment after they arrested Eufemio Rodriguez, 33, of 20 Rockdale Ave., just around the corner from Lopez’s apartment, Sgt. James Trudel said.
Rodriguez had sold about $1,000 in heroin to an undercover detective in several transactions, the last of which was just before his arrest about 2 p.m., Saturday, Trudel said.
Police knew Lopez to be associated with Rodriguez, and were afraid he may have seen Rodriguez’s arrest and started destroying drug evidence inside the apartment, Trudel said.
Vice detectives went into the apartment and found Lopez holding a knife and a bag of heroin, Trudel said.
Lopez fled into his bedroom, which was dark at the time, and dropped the knife only after officers drew their guns, Trudel said.
Once Lopez was in custody, police noticed a woman on the bed. She soon pointed out the baby, who was so small officers did not immediately notice it, Trudel said.
He said the Department of Social Services was called in and was investigating the situation as of Saturday night.
Trudel said Lopez has a large number of aliases that were discovered when his name was processed through FBI databases.
He said Rodriguez and Lopez were selling raw heroin largely in packaged, bulk quantities.
The undercover buys and arrests are part of the Police Department’s crackdown on street-level drug dealers that began about two months ago with federal funding from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
Detectives started making arrests in conjunction with the program about six weeks ago, and so far have busted about 30 to 40 dealers, Capt. Robert DeMoura said.
The crackdown will continue into the new year.
Rodriguez was also held on $25,000 cash bail. Both men were scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Lowell District Court.
Robert Mills’ e-mail address is: rmills@lowellsun.com.
December 20, 2005