Law enforcement officers in Massachusetts are continuing to battle the opioid epidemic that is plaguing the state, and the country, for over a decade now.
Earlier this month on September 12, Massachusetts State Trooper Joel Daoust, assigned to State Police in Sturbridge, was on patrol during his evening shift, when his merged his cruiser onto Route 84 from Route 20. It was there he observed a black Audi being operated at a speed he estimated to be much higher than the posted speed limit.
The Trooper activated his blue lights and stopped the vehicle and identified the operator as Marcus Riggins, 30, of East Hartford, Conn. Trooper Daoust informed Riggins why he was stopped and quickly discovered Riggins did not possess a driver’s license.
At that point, Riggins was removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest. During a search of his person, Trooper Daoust located an item in Riggins’ belt line that Trooper Daoust believed to be a bundle of wax folds, commonly used in the packaging of illegal narcotics. After further investigation on the scene, the bundle was removed and the wax folds were found to contain a substance suspected to be Fentanyl.
The search continued and Trooper Daoust located additional narcotics, cash, and a loaded .25 caliber pistol in the vehicle, which Riggins did not have a license to carry for.
In total, the arrest yielded 1,428 wax folds, containing a combined amount of 29 grams of suspected Fentanyl, and approximately 3 grams of a substance suspected to be crack cocaine was located.

Bail was set at $15,000 and Riggins is scheduled for arraignment on charges of Illegal Possession of a Firearm, Carrying a Loaded Firearm, Possession of a Firearm while Committing Felony, Improper Storage of a Firearm, Trafficking of Fentanyl, Possession of a Class B Substance, Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Fail to Wear Seatbelt, Obstructing Emergency Vehicle and Failure to Keep Right.
According to mass.gov, last year more than 2,000 people in Massachusetts died from an opioid overdose, the highest the state has ever seen. Massachusetts is suffering from an exponential increase in opioid-related overdoses, overdose deaths, and people seeking substance use treatment, due to the use of prescription opioids, fentanyl, and heroin.

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