New Bedford 'career criminal' sentenced to 8-10 years in prison for cocaine trafficking

The Standard-Times
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NEW BEDFORD - A 54-year-old New Bedford man who Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III called a "career criminal" in a press release, was convicted after a week-long, jury trial last month of trafficking cocaine and sentenced Wednesday to serve eight to 10 years in state prison.

The charges were brought against Benjamin Duarte after New Bedford Police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s second-floor apartment, located at 407 Park St., in New Bedford on April 1, 2016, according to a press release.

As a result of their search, police recovered 51.99 grams of cocaine and 2.75 pounds of marijuana.

The charges were brought against Benjamin Duarte after New Bedford Police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s second-floor apartment, located at 407 Park St., in New Bedford on April 1, 2016. As a result of their search, police recovered 51.99 grams of cocaine and 2.75 pounds of marijuana.
The charges were brought against Benjamin Duarte after New Bedford Police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s second-floor apartment, located at 407 Park St., in New Bedford on April 1, 2016. As a result of their search, police recovered 51.99 grams of cocaine and 2.75 pounds of marijuana.

Rock-like cocaine and cocaine powder

The drug evidence introduced at trial consisted of 44 grams of rock-like cocaine and eight individual bags of cocaine powder, bagged in a manner consistent with street-level distribution.

There was also significant non-drug evidence, including three bottles of inositol powder, (a common substance used to mix with cocaine to increase the amount of product for sale), a grinder, multiple boxes of plastic sandwich bags, scissors, two digital scales, cut corner baggies and $1,680 suspected of being profits from prior illegal drug sales.

The trial was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Steve Butts and Cate Sauter. The state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Susan Sullivan.

Defendant has nine-page criminal record

The defendant has a nine-page criminal record dating back to the early 1980s, including convictions for firearm offenses, assaults and robberies. He also has two more pending cocaine trafficking cases currently scheduled for trial later this spring.

“The defendant is a career criminal who was arrested for three separate drug trafficking cases over a period of four years. Yet he continued to sell and possess drugs while being out on bail three separate times,” Quinn said. “He clearly has no respect for the law and is a danger to the community. He needs to be kept off the street to protect the public. The prison sentence will accomplish that.”

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford man sentenced for cocaine trafficking