Narcotic detectives on Friday raided a house north of downtown Plymouth, arresting seven people on a variety of drug charges.
The arrests capped a five-month investigation by Plymouth police into drug activity at an apartment on Lothrop Street, police said.
Five of the suspects were charged with possession of cocaine and other drugs, misdemeanors.
A sixth, Patricia Reilly, who lives in the apartment, was also charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, a felony.
The seventh, Deandre Norman, of Boston, was also charged with a felony — cocaine trafficking — after police allegedly found three bags of cocaine hidden in his body.
Armed with a search warrant and wearing special gear, police used a battering ram to enter an apartment at 7 Lothrop St. on May 3 at 6:15 p.m.
Police said they first knocked on the door, but no one answered.
Inside, they found six people with crack pipes sitting around a living room coffee table, police reports said.
With the help of Oakley, the department’s two-year-old yellow lab, police searched the apartment.
According to police reports, they found a plastic bag with white powder believed to be fentanyl, and a prescription bottle with capsules identified as Vyvanse, a federally controlled drug that has some medical uses but is also often abused and can be addictive.
Police also found three digital scales — one of which had cocaine residue on it — and nine glass crack pipes, they said.
The six people sitting around the coffee table were all arrested, police said.
They then went looking for Norman, who wasn’t in the house, but was believed to be a key participant in the drug activity.
Police suspected that Norman was nearby — when they were in the house two of the suspects’ cellphones kept ringing, with the caller identified as “DRE,” police reported.
Police knew DRE stood for Norman, who had an outstanding warrant and a suspended driver’s license.
They found him about a block away, sitting in a car.
Police, aided by K-9 Oakley, found clear plastic bags with white residue stuffed into a door handle, and a Gucci backpack with $5,790 in cash, they said.
He was arrested and taken to the Plymouth Police station, where he was strip searched. When he pulled down his pants, police alleged, a large wad of cash fell to the floor. After Norman threatened to kill himself, police brought him to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, where staff retrieved three plastic bags filled with white powder from his body, police said.
The bags were tested and came back positive for cocaine with a total weight 27 grams — enough for him to be charged with trafficking, police said.
Reilly and the five others pleaded not guilty in Plymouth District Court May 6 to possession of crack, fentanyl, and Vyvanse. She also pleaded not guilty to possession of crack with intent to distribute.
The five were Colin Campbell, Joshua Waterman, and Heather Grennell, all of Plymouth; and Joseph Tavares of Carver and Lynda Cushman, of Kingston.
Norman, of Dorchester, was charged with cocaine trafficking and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, as well as with possession of cocaine and driving with a suspended license.
They are all expected back in court on May 28, according to court records.
Plymouth police spokesman Capt. Jason Higgins praised the narcotics detectives, saying they built an “airtight” case without the suspects knowing an investigation was going on.
“If you are dealing drugs in this town, there is a good chance our narcotics unit already has started their investigation into you,” said Higgins. “Sometimes, it can take years to build an airtight case, but rest assured, at some point, they will be knocking on your door.”
Christopher Sheehan, a lawyer who represents the defendants, could not be reached for comment.
An earlier version of this story gave the wrong time for period for the police investigation. The Independent regrets the error.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.