- Office of Attorney General Maura Healey
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Jillian Fennimore
Boston — A Dorchester man and woman have been indicted in connection with heroin trafficking and conspiracy to distribute heroin, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. The man was also indicted in connection with falsifying a license.
Armando Figueroa-Morales, age 37, of Dorchester, and Glaciris Hidalgo, age 40, of Dorchester, were indicted today by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on one count each of Trafficking in Heroin over 36 Grams and Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin. Figueroa-Morales was also indicted on one count of Falsification of a License. They will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court at a later date.
“Heroin is devastating families and communities across our state,” said AG Healey. “Those who sell this deadly drug and further the disease of addiction and compromise the safety and well-being of individuals and our neighborhoods will be held accountable.”
Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office began an investigation in November 2014 into alleged heroin distribution at a residence in Dorchester. On Dec. 15, 2014, authorities executed a search warrant at the residence and found approximately 44 grams of heroin and other paraphernalia consistent with drugs being prepared and packaged for sale, including small plastic bags and digital scales.
Following the execution of the search warrant, Figueroa-Morales and Hidalgo were arrested by State Police. Authorities found a fraudulent Massachusetts ID card on Figueroa-Morales during the arrest. The defendants were subsequently arraigned in Boston Municipal Court, where bail was set at $10,000 cash for each.
Shortly before taking office, Attorney General Maura Healey announced the formation of an internal AG’s task force to more aggressively combat the heroin and prescription drug abuse crisis in Massachusetts.
In 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates that 978 people in the state died from opioid-related overdoses, up from 668 deaths the previous year. In 2012, opioid-related deaths outnumbered gun-related deaths by nearly three-fold and in 2013 opioid-related deaths exceeded deaths caused by car accidents by more than double.
AG Healey has vowed to use a multi-faceted approach to improve the prescription monitoring program, educate prescribers, pursue illegal drug traffickers and pill mills, and expand access to recovery and treatment programs.
This week, AG Healey attended and gave remarks at the first event for the Governor’s Opioid Addiction Working Group Listening Tour, which was held in Worcester and provided an opportunity to gather feedback from the community and ideas on how to halt the opioid epidemic. AG Healey also participated in a roundtable event in Fall River about the opiate crisis facing south coast communities, which was held as a part of the Senate's Commonwealth Conversations tour.
In February, AG Healey met with family members who are grappling with a loved one’s addiction at a roundtable discussion hosted by Learn to Cope, a statewide family support organization. She also joined a roundtable in Taunton to discuss the issue with the mayor, local officials, first responders and family members of those impacted by opioid addiction.
In January, the AG’s Office arrested and charged Naman Spencer for his involvement in an alleged scheme to use fraudulent prescriptions to illegally obtain Oxycodone tablets. The AG’s Office discovered Spencer’s alleged illegal activities through their investigation into Vincent Leo, who was indicted Leo on more than 100 counts of prescription and credit card fraud and identity theft in November 2014. Leo allegedly created hundreds of fraudulent prescriptions in order to obtain oxycodone tablets.
The charges against Figueroa-Morales and Hidalgo are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Marina Moriarty, of AG Healey’s Enterprise and Major Crimes Division, with assistance from State Police assigned to the AG’s Office.
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