Two Arrested After Raid Yields 68 Bags of Crack Cocaine

A variety of law enforcement agencies converged on a Stoneham home to execute a search warrant, arresting two residents of the property on drug charges Friday morning.

According to a press release from the Stoneham Police Department, the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLAC) and the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department SWAT teams joined them at a home at 45 Pomeworth Street to execute a “high risk” search warrant related to narcotics sales.

Following the raid, Taja Angi and Inaldo O’quendo, both 45 Pomeworth Street residents, were arrested.

Angi and O’quendo were each charged with possession with intent to distribute a Class B controlled substance, drug violation near a school and conspiracy to violate the narcotic drug laws.

During the raid, police said they recovered a plastic bag that contained 68 individually wrapped bags of crack cocaine.

Stoneham Detective Paul Norton joined the Southern Middlesex Regional Drug Task Force to begin a “lengthy investigation into activities at this address” after police said drug paraphernalia was discovered in the neighborhood recently.

The home is located in close proximity to Central Elementary School and Pomeworth Field.

Following their Friday arrest, Angi and O’quendo were transported for arraignment at Woburn District Court, according to the police press release.

“We take the sale of drugs in our community seriously. It is unacceptable that families find discarded hypodermic needles and crack pipes in areas where our children play,” said Police Chief James McIntyre in the press release.  “We encourage the residents of Stoneham to contact the police when suspicious activity is observed.”