Published: 01/31/2008
'Break and rake' raid nets drugs, weapons in Seabrook
By Angeljean ChiaramidaStaff writer
SEABROOK - A late-night raid on Tuesday by state and local authorities has landed two Seabrook men in jail after a scale, significant quantities of cocaine, prescription drugs and five guns were found in their home, police said.
Eduardo Raposo, 34, and Sergio Pimentel, 29, both residing in the basement apartment at 1 Maple Ridge Road in Seabrook, were arraigned yesterday afternoon in Seabrook at Hampton District Court on felony charges of possession of controlled drugs with the intent to distribute. They were ordered held by Judge Francis Frasier on $50,000 cash bail.
Chief Patrick Manthorn announced the arrests yesterday morning as part of his monthly report before Seabrook's Board of Selectmen. His description of the investigation and capture of Raposo and Pimentel preceded his official appointment as chief by the selectmen yesterday.
Manthorn said Tuesday night's arrests were the result of an investigation that took place over past weeks by the Attorney General's Drug Task Force, which acted on suspicions brought to its attention by two Seabrook patrolmen.
When the investigation confirmed the presence of firearms in the household as well as the quantities of drugs, Manthorn said it was decided to call in the Seacoast Emergency Response Team to execute the "no-knock" warrant, which allows the officers to enter unannounced.
The raid took place about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, he said.
"It was a 'break and rake' bust," Manthorn said during an interview after the selectmen's meeting. "They smashed the windows and threw in flash bangs, which are a type of explosive that makes a big noise to confuse them. The flash is a bright light that temporarily blinds them - like night blindness."
With the suspects disoriented by the explosives, SERT agents entered first, followed by Drug Task Force agents to find 2 ounces of cocaine separated into sellable packages, some right on the scale, Manthorn said. In addition, there were prescription drugs in bottles with no labels, and no legal prescriptions for the drugs were found anywhere, he said.
The 2 ounces of cocaine was sectioned up into "8 balls," found on the scale, Manthorn said, with an estimated street value of about $6,000. Manthorn did not know the type of the prescription drugs found at the scene nor their estimated worth.
According to the police report and affidavits of the case, during the "no-knock" raid by the New Hampshire Drug Task Force and Seacoast's Tactical Assault Force, Pimentel stated he was only holding the cocaine for "safe keeping" for Raposo, who really owned the drugs.
