New Bedford Narcotics Dealer Gets 12 Years in Prison

A 34-year-old New Bedford man arrested for trafficking narcotics in 2017 and 2018 has been sentenced to serve 12 years in prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

In Fall River Superior Court, Eduardo Aguillar Serano pleaded guilty to indictments charging him with trafficking in excess of 100 grams cocaine, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, trafficking in excess of 36 grams of heroin, and trafficking in excess of 100 grams of heroin, Quinn's office said in a media release.

In January of 2017, a New Bedford police detective learned that a red Ford Focus was conducting cocaine deliveries throughout Fall River and New Bedford. On January 17, the car was spotted in New Bedford, and surveillance was set up. It turned out that the car was a rental that was not been returned and was listed as stolen out of Springfield. The car was trailed from New Bedford to Providence and was later stopped back in New Bedford. Police found cocaine weighing 524 grams under the passenger seat,  cocaine weighing 205 grams in the glove compartment, and heroin weighing 95 grams in the trunk. Fingerprints on the heroin matched those of Serano, Quinn's office said.

In September of 2018, while Serano was out on bail, he became the target of search warrants for his apartment, his Chevy Camaro, and his Honda Accord. On the day the warrants were executed, he was seen walking to the Camaro where he placed a black and pink bag in the trunk before driving off. When police tried to stop him, he fled and struck two police cruisers. A subsequent search of his car and the bag yielded 487 grams of heroin. Cash in the amount of $2,183 was also seized from the car and the apartment, Quinn's office said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Sylvia and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Karen Green.

"​On two occasions, this defendant was caught trafficking large amounts of heroin and cocaine, which contributes greatly to the drug epidemic in our cities. He committed the second offense while out on bail. Based on the amount of drugs seized, a substantial prison sentence was warranted. The defendant is not a U.S. citizen and is subject to removal proceedings," Quinn said on a statement.