The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Police Department:
Watertown Police Detectives in conjunction with the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 147 Morse St. on Thursday, September 17.
As a result of the investigation, Edward Lopez (28) of 147 Morse St, Watertown, was arrested for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Mr. Lopez will be arraigned at the Waltham District Court on Monday. Fentanyl is a very dangerous opioid, overdoses involving fentanyl can lead to respiratory depression and death.
If you know of anyone struggling with a substance use disorder please call the WPD in-house clinician, Ms. Duarte for support and free Narcan, 617-600-1312.
Fentanyl dealers should be charged with 1st degree manslaughter/assault on top of drug charges. Since there is a premeditated notion to the distribution of a substance that has a high likelihood of causing severe harm or death.
I would definitely support stiffer penalties. But you can’t charge someone with manslaughter or assault, without a specific victim that you can connect to fentanyl that came from a specific dealer. That’s just matter of Law and likely the Constitution.
That said; we can certainly make the penalties equivalent to 1st degree manslaughter.