Haverhill Man, Among Three, Facing Heroin Dealing Charge

A Haverhill man is being held on $1 million bail after being arrested with two others Thursday night in Andover on alleged heroin trafficking charges.

Jose Baez, 24, of Haverhill; Doryn Tavarez-Mota, 28, of New York, N.Y.; and Melvin Peralta, 27, of New Brunswick, N.J., were arraigned Friday in Lawrence District Court after local and state police seized more than 200 grams of heroin, worth about $210,000, from an Andover hotel room. The arrests came after an investigation over several days by Andover Police, Massachusetts State Police and members from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), according to Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe. Each was charged with trafficking heroin of more than 200 grams.

“This was a superb job by our Andover Police Detectives, with assistance from State Police and the DEA,” Keefe said. “Their work led to the removal of a dangerous opioid and drug dealers from our community.”

Tavarez-Mota is also being held on $1 million bail. Baez was additionally charged with driving with a revoked registration and driving an uninsured motor vehicle. Peralta, held on $500,000 bail, was also taken into custody on two warrants out of New Jersey related to charges of trafficking heroin, armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm. A search was executed late Thursday night after police surveillance, stemming from reported drug activity, led to at a room at an unnamed Andover hotel where the three were found.

They are all scheduled to return to court Aug. 26.

During the investigation, Baez was observed driving a motor vehicle and police were able to determine the exact hotel room where they believed drug activity was occurring, police said. Inside the room, police found three kilograms of heroin, with an estimated street value of $210,000.