'Not just substances, but people too': Drug-trafficking raids in Harwich and Yarmouth

In two raids in Harwich and Yarmouth, police seized illegal drugs and guns in uncovering what authorities say was a drug trafficking organization on the Cape.

On May 19, federal search warrants were carried out on Azalea Drive in Harwich and Autumn Drive in Yarmouth, where police seized two large-capacity weapons and ammunition, a bulletproof vest and 679 grams of cocaine, according to a Barnstable Police Department press release.

The warrants grew out of a months-long investigation by the Barnstable Police Narcotics Unit and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Cape Cod office, Lt. Mark Mellyn of the Barnstable Police Department said in an email.

Five arrests were made in the Harwich raid, while no arrests were made in Yarmouth, according to Mellyn.

"This investigation was a collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies focusing on drug distribution in communities in Barnstable County," David DiTullio, resident agent in charge at the DEA Cape Cod office, told the Times. "The DEA Cape Cod office is committed to ensuring the safety and health of the communities they serve, and remain focused on reducing violence, and the flow of drugs."

The five people arrested were charged on May 20 with possession of a large-capacity firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, possession of a large capacity feeding device and trafficking of a Class B substance, the release said.

Daniel Rodrigues, director of substance use disorder services at Duffy Health Center, said news of raids like this have two sides for the people the center treats.

“As a human being, my first thought is it’s great to have less of these substances in the community,” he said. “But then reality kicks in with the work myself and my team does, and what comes to mind is, then what? For community members who are using, where are they going to turn to next?”

For many people afflicted with substance abuse on the Cape, a break in the supply chain often leads them to participate in higher-risk behaviors, like traveling to Boston or Providence for drugs, Rodrigues said.

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COVID was a clear example of this, he said.

“When everything shuts down, that means everything shuts down, even for the using community,” Rodrigues said.

On the other hand, drug-trafficking raids disrupt supply so many people with substance use disorders see it as a critical moment to seek help.

“We saw this with COVID; there was a major increase of folks seeking services,” Rodrigues said.

One of the Cape's biggest problems in treating addicts is the lack of treatment options, he said.

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“There’s just not enough acute care beds, or detox beds or long-term residential programs,” he said. “When there’s a situation with a major bust, where are we sending people for support?”

People suffering substance abuse who need acute care have to go off-Cape to receive it, possibly separating them from their support systems, which can be a significant barrier to recovery, Rodrigues said.

“The Cape is a small community that’s really its own network,” he said. “When there are busts, you know, people know people who know people who know people. We have to remember it’s not just substances in these raids, but people attached, too.”

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Police: Mid-Cape raids uncover drug-trafficking organization