Five people are facing criminal charges after an undercover sting in Lowell on Friday yielded guns, nearly three pounds of cocaine, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, authorities said.
Kevin Chou, Vesnar Van, Norath Chou, Jacob Boyce, and Theresa Naill were all arrested on various charges related to the trafficking of firearms and cocaine, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon, and Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said in a joint news release.
Lowell police and state police had been investigating the group of suspects since February, and an undercover officer conducted a series of controlled purchases between March and October, authorities said.
Law enforcement then applied for warrants and arrested the suspects without incident on Friday morning. An arrest warrant was also issued for John Miller, of Lowell, who has not yet been apprehended.
A search of Miller’s home yielded 400 grams of cocaine and over $51,000 in cash, while a raid on the home of Kevin Chou, Vesnar Van, and Norath Chou uncovered three firearms, two AR-style rifles, ammunition in various calibers, multiple large capacity magazines, and over 900 grams of cocaine, authorities said.
In a statement, DA Ryan said, “These arrests reflect our commitment to removing illegal firearms from our streets and to disrupting large-scale drug operations. These defendants, over an extended period of time, are alleged to have been trafficking in substantial quantities of cocaine and other drugs and offering AR-style rifles and other weapons for sale to unlicensed individuals. These weapons, coupled with the large supply of ammunition which was recovered, created a significant danger and we know too well the havoc that this amount of cocaine can create.”
All five suspects are expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Lowell District Court.
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