New Bedford Police Arrest Four in West End Drug Investigations

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — New Bedford Police arrested four men on drug charges and seized a gun following three separate alleged drug transactions recently in the city’s West End.

According to police, detectives assigned to the Organized Crime and Intelligence Bureau were patrolling the West End on Wednesday, March 12, when they observed three men involved in an alleged drug transaction at 12:30 p.m.

As a result, police arrested Kevin Haslam, 39, and Lino Vertentes, 43, both of New Bedford after a traffic stop in which detectives allegedly found cocaine. Calvin Rosa, 22, of New Bedford was also involved, according to police, but was not arrested at that time.

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Detectives later witnessed another alleged drug transaction on Studley Street which they say Rosa was involved in, along with Ahkari Jones, 30, of Pawtucket. A traffic stop resulted in detectives seizing 56.4 grams of crack cocaine.

Jones was arrested and charged with trafficking 36 grams or more of cocaine and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

Police said detectives then observed Rosa enter another vehicle, and took him into custody following a traffic stop.

Detectives then executed a search warrant for Rosa’s residence and seized two plastic bags of crack cocaine weighing 30.7 grams, a Smith & Wesson handgun which they said was later found to be stolen out of South Carolina, nine rounds of .40 caliber ammunition and a digital scale.

Rosa was charged with distributing a Class B drug, conspiracy to violate drug laws, trafficking in 18 grams or more of cocaine, possession of a large-capacity firearm, possession of ammunition without an FID card and receiving stolen property.

Rosa was arrested back in 2021 after a social media post allegedly showed him and a juvenile with marijuana and a gun. He was allegedly found in possession of 43 bags of marijuana weighing a total of over 2.5 pounds, as well as an illegal knife.

At that time, he was on probation and had just been arrested a week prior for allegedly pointing a gun at a victim. At that time, he had 17 open charges in New Bedford District Court.

Then in 2022, Rosa was arrested again while allegedly in a stolen car in Dartmouth that had fled from police. He was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle, failing to stop for police, negligent operation, driving with a suspended license and a motor vehicle lights violation.

At that time, he also had six outstanding warrants on assault and battery, receiving stolen property and drugs charges.