Guns, Fentanyl Seized From Walpole Home In Early Morning Raid
WALPOLE (CBS) - An early morning drug raid in Walpole netted police the arrests of five people they say were carrying out a drug operation inside a home on Norfolk St.
It was unassuming enough in a busy, industrial part of town. But police say they found powerful opioids and weapons to the surprise of neighbors. "There's so much traffic here that one or two cars an hour isn't going to make a difference," said Arthur Aho.
But what police say the five men were selling here did make a difference, contributing to a recent spike in overdoses and at least two deaths in the area. Among the drugs were oxycodone laced with the potent painkiller fentanyl.
Walpole Police Chief John Carmichael says some people were knowingly buying pills cut with fentanyl, but others may not have known the potency.
Charged with a variety of drug and weapons offenses were 63-year-old David Curran of Walpole, 54-year-old Randolph Beardsley of Milton, 52-year-old Francis Keegan of Walpole, 48-year-old Christopher Punis of Walpole, and 36-year-old Nicholas Bonfilio of Walpole.
Neighbor Chuck Kaplan is relieved to see the operation shutdown. "Of course I'm glad because of the people it hurts," said Kaplan.
Arthur Aho says he worries about the potential for violence. "I'm glad it's gone. There's the possibility of a drug shootout or a drug deal gone bad," he says.
Police say the recent deaths led to information sharing that brought police to the home, placing it under surveillance for the past few weeks.
They now hope they've saved more lives. "We're glad we got this off the streets because it is killing people," said Chief Carmichael.
The five men were arraigned in Wrentham District Court where bail was set ranging from $500 to $5000.
