Dead men tell no tales, but their phones do, and one leads feds to three Lynn men and 200 pounds of drugs, including 20 pounds of fentanyl and meth pressed into the shape of pink Valentine's heart candy, fed say

The FBI and police in Lynn arrested three men last week and seized more than 200 pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack - including more than 20 pounds of a meth/fentanyl combination pressed and colored to look like Sweethearts Valentine's Day heart candies - altogether worth millions of dollars on the street.

Emilio "Six" Garcia, 25, Sebastien "Bash" Bejin, 23, and Deiby Felix, 40, were charged with possession of controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, according to court records unsealed after their arrests and the seizure of large quantities of drugs - and four guns, three of them loaded - in the basement of a two-family home on Broadway in Lynn.

An affidavit by an FBI agent called them "members of a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating on the North Shore" and said other, as yet uncharged, people were also involved. Over the course of an investigation that began in July, the affidavit states, "investigators have made multiple seizures of counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine from associates of BEJIN and GARCIA that were contained in brown paper bags."

After noting "the presence of extensive residual powder and airborne particles" and the fact that children lived in the two-family house, the FBI and police called in a fire hazmat crew to decontaminate the house.

According to the affidavit, the three men started falling under state and federal scrutiny after a Salem man died of an apparent drug overdose on July 5. Police investigating that man's death found his phone and figured out who his possible dealer was:

Officers utilized the decedent's Snapchat account to contact L.G. about purchasing additional pills. L.G. [the potential dealer] likely believed he was communicating with J.C. [the dead man] and was unaware that J.C. was deceased. L.G. agreed to sell pills and instructed the officers to meet him on Mudge Street in Lynn. Officers agreed to meet L.G. in Lynn on July 6, 2023, to conduct the deal.

L.G. showed up, with 100 blue pressed fentanyl pills, 300 grams of meth, a loaded Glock handgun and a wallet belonging to Sebastien Bejin. After he failed to outrun police, detectives obtained a search warrant for L.G.'s phone and found records of numerous daily calls between him and Beijin. They started staking out Beijin, and that led them to the other two men - and the basement of a two-family home on Broadway where the three , the affidavit states.

Last Wednesday, after watching Garcia arrive at the Broadway house, the police and agents staking out the place arrested him on state charges of trafficking over 200 grams of a class B substance. Then:

Investigators proceeded to the basement, where they knocked and announced their presence. After waiting a reasonable amount of time with no response investigators used a battering ram to force entry. Investigators entered the basement and forced entry into multiple locked doors. At the end of the hallway was a locked room, hereafter “Room C” containing numerous black and yellow boxes. When investigators entered the room, they observed drug mixing and distribution tools, as well as large quantities of drugs in plain view. Investigators completed a safety sweep of the residence and secured the scene in order to conduct the court-authorized search. As noted above, during GARCIA's arrest, he was found to have a key that was determined to unlock the rear basement door, and a key that was determined to unlock the door leading into Room C.

Once inside Room C, investigators observed storage racks and multiple black and yellow'storage bins. Within the storage bins were controlled substances, to include tens of thousands of counterfeit'Adderall pills believed to contain methamphetamine, hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Percocet pills'believed to contain fentanyl, and other controlled substances. Investigators also located four firearms, three'of which were loaded. Investigators also located packaging material, and other paraphernalia associated'with the packaging and distribution of controlled substances on an industrial level. In the corner of the'room, a desk contained scales, heat sealers, packaging materials.

The affidavit continues:

Of particular note to investigators were the pink heart-shaped pills. These heart-shaped pills resembled Valentine's Day "Sweethearts" candies, also known as “conversation hearts.” ...

These pills were field-tested on a TruNarc device and were determined to contain methamphetamine and fentanyl. These pills appeared particularly pernicious as they are not meant to resemble any pharmaceutical and appeared to be designed to resemble a candy. The nature of this design would (1) facilitate the marketing of these controlled substances to teenagers, and (2) allow an individual to more readily and easily possess them in a controlled environment, such as a school, because they would be mistaken for simple candies.

Pressed drug hearts closeup:

Also:

Following the conclusion of the search, investigators noted the presence of extensive residual powder and airborne particles throughout Room C and in the basement area. ... Investigators know that multiple children reside in the apartments on the first and second floors of 363 Broadway. As a result, investigators requested the assistance of the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division to conduct a decontamination of the premises.

Garcia and Felix were arrested later in the day.

Complete affidavit (2.3M PDF).

All of the seized drugs:

Innocent, etc.