At about 12:25 PM, on Sunday, March 3, 2024, officers assigned to District B-2 (Roxbury) arrested Rafael Claudio, 47, of Roxbury, on drug trafficking charges.
Officers were on patrol in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard to address the ongoing quality of life issues. Officers observed a group of individuals congregating in the area, and believed that they had witnessed a street level drug transaction. As officers approached the group, the group dropped items on the ground and began to disperse.
Officers stopped one of the individuals, and recovered plastic bags on the ground of what they believed to be drugs. Officers placed the suspect into handcuffs, and conducted a search incident to arrest. Officers recovered from the suspect a plastic bag with multiple plastic bags inside of it. It was later determined that the plastic bags contained Fentanyl with a weight of 31 grams, and an unknown weight of crack cocaine.
Claudio was placed under arrest and charged with: Trafficking of class A, and possession with intent to distribute class B. He is expected to be arraigned in Roxbury District Court.