East Providence Police Work to Clean Up I-195 Drug Corridor

Driving the 2.5 mile stretch of highway through East Providence can be a nerve-wracking experience for a drug dealer. According to police officers, this is dealers' testimony after a bust on I-195.

"They say, 'Once you get you get through EP, you're home free,'" said Investigator Darren Ellinwood.

There is reason for anxiety. officers take an aggressive approach to reducing drug transactions within city borders. In 2010, the department was inducted into the Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) program, an umbrella of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program run by the U.S. Department of Justice. Interstate-195 is considered a prime drug corridor.

From October 2010 to October 2011, the department made 63 arrests that resulted in the confiscation of 6.5 kilograms of cocaine and 7.6 kilograms of heroin. Those strides are impressive given the short length of the highway, said Sgt. Diogo Mello, an expert in local trafficking trends.

Keeping dealers off city streets is an ongoing battle as trafficking heroin is a lucrative trade.

According to Sgt. Mello, most heroin in the region is brought to Providence from New York City. Once in Rhode Island, it costs about $130 to $150 for every "brick" of heroin that contains about 50 bags. An average user needs two to three bags to get high. A kilogram of heroin will cost about $60,000 in Rhode Island; a kilogram of cocaine costs about $30,000.

The price of those substances increases the further away from Providence it's sold. In Fall River, it can cost $300 for a brick. And there's also demand from Cape Cod, making I-195 the Silk Road of Southern New England drug trade.

"There's so much money in the [trade,]" Sgt. Mello said, adding that once a leader of a drug ring is arrested, another is waiting in the wings.

Most users now go to neighboring Providence as opposed to East Providence to get their drugs, said Sgt. Mello. But a little over a decade ago, there was a spike in trafficking within city borders. The Rumford Pet Center on Warren Avenue was one of the hot spots. The department patrolled the area actively and dealer activity dropped.

"It was like shooting fish in a barrel," Sgt. Mello said.

Though resident addiction rates have been on the rise. 

"We'd like to saw that it's not, but within city limits, it's getting bad," he said.

Dependency isn't an isolated social problem, according to the officers. Because drug dependency is a pricey habit, addicts often need quick sources of income. They often resort to larceny and violent crime. Heroin addicts have been known to shoplift expensive items like razors and then sell to smaller, privately owned convenience stores. Crack cocaine addicts are more likely to commit violent crimes due to their agitated, hyped-up state.

'They'll stay awake for days," said Ellinwood.

A member of the South Coast Anti-Crime (SCAT) Team, East Providence police make most of their busts by sharing intelligence with other agencies. Some tips come from addicts hoping to strike a deal. Though the battle continues, since the smart dealers don't get caught, said Ellinwood.

"We have to play by the rules," he said. "They don't."