Attleboro Police Make Biggest Drug Bust in Recent Memory Thanks to MyPD App

Photo: Oscar Perez allegedly used a secret compartment to hide cocaine he sold in the region. His drug stash was worth over $20,000 police said. (Credit: Attleboro police)

ATTLEBORO, MA — Attleboro police said they made their biggest drug bust in recent memory thanks to tips that concerned citizens submitted via the MyPD app.

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Oscar Perez, 49, of 63 Bank St., was arrested Thursday and charged with dealing cocaine during a sting operation on Holcott Street. Police said the investigation started when they received tips from concerned citizens via the Attleboro Police Department’s affiliated MyPD app.

The app, developed by Peabody-based Wired Blue, allows users to provide tips to local police departments. The company says law enforcement agencies in about 200 communities—including many in Massachusetts—use it.

Officers said they knew in advance that Perez was going to arrive at the residence to sell crack cocaine. They arrested him on the spot and said they found 3 grams of packaged cocaine on his person. They said they also found 14 grams of crack in his vehicle hidden in a secret compartment. He had another 208 grams of crack and 8 grams on heroin in his apartment, police said.

The value of all the drugs was $23,000, police said.

Perez was charged with trafficking cocaine, dealing drugs in a school zone (Holcott Street is near Bishop Feehan High School), having fake identification, obstruction of justice, and driving with a suspended license.

“The amount of illegal drugs seized in this operation is the largest drug seizure in recent city history,” police said in a statement.

Police in Saginaw, Michigan in 2013 said they arrested two homicide suspects thanks to tips from the MyPD app.