FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Fall River man has been arrested and nearly 200 grams of fentanyl seized after a months-long investigation by state police narcotics detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

The D.A.’s Office said in a release that for several months, its state police narcotics unit was working with members of the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit on a joint investigation into fentanyl trafficking in Fall River.

A fatal drug overdose led them to identify Christhian Irizarry, 29, of Fall River as the target of the investigation. The D.A.’s Office alleged he had been using his Maple Gardens apartment as a base of operations for distributing fentanyl, and said that state troopers conducted three undercover purchases of fentanyl from Irizarry.

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A search warrant for his address was obtained on March 22, and on March 23, investigators initiated a fourth undercover drug buy; once it was completed, they said Irizarry was taken into custody without incident. The D.A.’s Office said a search of his apartment turned up 192 grams of suspected fentanyl and 32 suboxone strips.

Irizarry faces three counts of trafficking fentanyl, one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and one count of possession of a Class B drug.

“I’m very pleased that a significant amount of fentanyl, which has caused an increase in overdoses, was taken off the street as a result of our joint investigative effort,” District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said. “This arrest and seizure was the result of a follow up to a previous investigation into narcotics trafficking in the area.”

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