Taunton police seize fentanyl, cocaine, meth and a gun in search, charge local man with trafficking
A 44-year-old Taunton man faces three drug trafficking charges and three weapons charges and is due in Taunton District Court on Thursday, police said.
TAUNTON Taunton police arrested a 44-year-old Taunton man on drug trafficking and weapons charges after detectives served a search warrant in the city on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and seized fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, a gun with a large-capacity magazine and more than $30,000 in cash, the department said.
The department announced the arrest late Wednesday in a release posted on its website and Facebook page in the name of Chief Eric P. Nichols. Detectives from the Norton and Raynham police departments helped serve the warrant, which the release says was part of an ongoing drug and firearms investigation. Police did not say where in Taunton the warrant was served or at what time the search took place, and they did not release the man's name.
What police say they found
Detectives seized trafficking amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, an illegally possessed firearm with a large-capacity magazine and more than $30,000 in cash, according to the release. A photo the department posted with it shows stacks of cash, plastic bags of a white substance and a handgun laid out on a table.
The man is charged with trafficking in more than 100 grams of cocaine, trafficking in more than 18 grams of fentanyl, trafficking in more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, carrying a large-capacity firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and possession of a large-capacity feeding device, the department said. The release does not give the exact weight of any of the drugs.
Detectives Pimental, Creamer, Danner and Ryan, Lt. Pacino and Officers Wakefield and Bowden took part in the operation, according to the release, which lists the officers by last name only.
"We're committed to keeping Taunton safe by investigating drug trafficking and taking illegally possessed firearms off the street," Nichols said in the release. "I want to thank the Norton and Raynham police departments for their help with this investigation."
What happens next
The man is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, Nov. 12, in Taunton District Court, according to the department. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Nichols is new to the chief's office, after the City Council voted Sept. 22 to appoint him to succeed Chief Edward J. Walsh, and the city has invited residents to his swearing-in at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, during the regular City Council meeting in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 15 Summer St., according to a notice the City of Taunton posted on its website and Facebook page Wednesday.
South Coast 360 asked Taunton police on Wednesday night where in the city the warrant was served, how much of each drug was seized and whether more arrests are expected, and will update this story with the answers.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Everything about the search, the seizure, the charges, the officers, the chief's quote and the arraignment comes from the Taunton Police Department's own release, which we read in full on its Facebook page and its website the night of Nov. 11 and saved word for word. The release does not name the man or say where the warrant was served, so this story does not either. The swearing-in date, time and place come from the City of Taunton's own notice on its website and Facebook page the same day. The council vote of Sept. 22 comes from our earlier reporting on the council's Sept. 22 roll call. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (4)
- Taunton Police Department: Taunton Police Seize Drugs, Illegal Firearm During Search Warrant ExecutionThe department's own release and photo, posted on its website and its Facebook page the night of Nov. 11, 2026: the search, the assisting departments, the officers, what was seized, the six charges, the chief's quote and the arraignment date. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- Taunton Police Department on FacebookThe same release, posted about 10:19 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- City of Taunton: Swearing-In of Taunton Police ChiefThe city's invitation posted Nov. 11, 2026, also on the city's Facebook page: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m., City Council chambers, City Hall, 15 Summer St. Read Nov. 11, 2026.
- South Coast 360: Taunton has no signed contract yet with incoming police chiefOur earlier reporting from the City Council's Sept. 22 roll call on Nichols succeeding Chief Edward J. Walsh.