Repeat Narcotics Trafficker Sentenced to State Prison
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
Press Release
April 4, 2019
A 29-year-old man who previously resided in both Fairhaven and New Bedford arrested twice within a year for trafficking opiates was sentenced to serve five to seven-and-a-half years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Zachary Lovegrove pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court last week to indictments charging him with two counts of trafficking heroin, and one count each of distribution of Suboxone, distribution of Xanax, and possession of cocaine.
On November 4, 2016 Fairhaven Police were conducting surveillance at various commercial parking lots in town due to increasing narcotics activity. This defendant was seen on back to back days in commercial parking lots acting suspicious. On this date, he was seen by police going into the trunk of his car, reaching into his pants, removing something and placing it in the trunk. He then re-entered his car and began to drive away. Police ran his license plate and discovered he was driving with a suspended license. Police stopped the defendant’s vehicle and placed him under arrest. While inventorying his vehicle, police recovered 19 grams of a heroin/cocaine/fentanyl mixture, 164 Xanax pills in various baggies, 32 Suboxone strips and more than $1,000 in cash.
Then, on September 22, 2017, while out on $10,000 cash bail, the defendant was again arrested with nearly 40 grams of a heroin, cocaine and fentanyl mixture and one bag of cocaine. Fairhaven Police had received information that the defendant was staying in town at a friend’s house and was using that house as a base of operations for dealing drugs. Surveillance was set up outside the home and the defendant was seen meeting with known drug users and making hand to hand transactions with them.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Renee Dupuis.
“This defendant was out on bail when he was caught selling drugs once again. It is particularly disturbing that the drugs contained a very toxic mixture of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine which has led to an increase in fatal overdoses during the last several years. This defendant is a danger to the community and the public will be protected from him for up to seven and half years” District Attorney Quinn said. “I would like to thank the Fairhaven Police for their investigative efforts which led to the arrest and conviction of the defendant.”
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576—cell