Couple arrested for running drug house

SOMERSET, Mass. (WPRI) - Somerset Police busted a couple Thursday for a sophisticated marijuana growing operation in their home -- which was close to Somerset High School.

Joshua Medeiros, 24, and Kimberly Vasconcellos, 23, both of Somerset, are accused of possessing heroin with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate the Massachusetts Controlled Substance Act, and drug violations within a school zone, according to a police news release.

The police said Friday they'd been watching the couple for months after neighbors complained of suspicous activity at the home on 42 Fordam Drive in Somerset. Officers started watching the home and found it well-visited. Cars would pull up to the house for a few minutes, and Medeiros would go to the car and leave with them, or the persons in the car would enter the home for a few minutes, then leave. They also saw Medeiros meeting people at an intersection down the street, behind the high school. The home is less than 500 feet from the school.

Somerset Police eventually sent over an informant to buy drugs from Medeiros. When the sale was made, police say, they got a search warrant for the house.

Thursday, officers and detectives saw Medeiros leaving the house and get into Vasconcellos's car. When officers stopped the car, they say Medeiros immediately exclaimed, "I don't have nothing on me."

Officers searched the car with a K-9 unit, and found bags of white powder believed to be heroin. Inside Medeiros's home, they found hundreds of similar bags that were empty, needles, and other drug-related items.

In a closet outfitted with special lighting designed to stimulate plant growth, officers found 47 marijuana plants, which they seized, along with the grow light and a ventilation system.

They also seized a digital scale, some cash, cell phones, notebooks, and "a drug storage box," according to the news release.

Somerset Police Chief Joseph Ferreira said in the release, "This eradication of a drug dealer was only possible with the eyes and ears of the public working with the police."