Whitman drug lab raided, 33 pounds of fentanyl, meth seized, property condemned: police

WHITMAN — A 39-year-old Plymouth man who was running a "rudimentary drug laboratory" out of a Whitman property was arrested at his place of work in Plymouth, State Police said.

The Whitman property "was so badly contaminated with strewn drug material" that it was evacuated and condemned by the town of Whitman, state police said in a written statement Thursday.

Police said a months-long investigation resulted in a search warrant for the property on Essex Street in Whitman, which is "linked to" the suspect.

Search warrants were executed on Dec. 21, 2023, for the Whitman property — it's not clear if it was a home or business — and for the suspect's SUV, police said.

"Upon entry to the Whitman property, Troopers immediately encountered large amounts of white powder, thousands of counterfeit prescription pills, a pharmaceutical grade pill press and related drug paraphernalia," police said.

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Investigators seized “significant quantities of counterfeit Adderall and Xanax pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine," state police said.

Troopers at the Whitman property seized: Six pounds of counterfeit Adderall pills field tested and presumed to be fentanyl; and 27 pounds of counterfeit Xanax tablets and loose powder field tested and presumed to be methamphetamine, police said.

The suspect was located at his workplace in Plymouth and arrested by Troopers from the Plymouth County Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit, police said.

Troopers located "several hundred blue oxycodone pills weighing a total of 145 grams" inside the suspect's vehicle, according to police.

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The suspect was taken to the Norwell Barracks for booking and was arraigned at Plymouth District Court on charges of: Trafficking fentanyl; trafficking methamphetamine; and unlawful manufacture of a Class B drug.

Members of the Norfolk County State Police Detective Unit were assisted by troopers assigned to the state police Narcotics Section, Plymouth County State Police Detective Unit, detectives from both the Plymouth and Whitman police departments, the W.E.B. Major Crimes and Drug Task Force, Homeland Security investigations and inspectors assigned to the United State Postal Service.

Staff writer Kathy Bossa can be reached by email at kbossa@enterprisenews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.