Drug bust at Westminster residence uncovers fentanyl/heroin drug distribution operation, crack, $9,300 cash in safe, & Suboxone

WESTMINSTER — On Friday, January 10, 2024, at approximately 6:01 a.m. Detective David Leblanc of the Westminster Police Department, who is also a member of the North Worcester County Drug Task Force (NWCDTF), was one of 16 detectives with the NWCDTF and the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit who executed a search warrant at 18 South Shore Road in Westminster.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Detective Leblanc and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“I am the affiant of the search warrant,” Officer Leblanc said. “The targets of the search warrant are Michael Rahaim DOB [redacted] and Teresea Benedict DOB [redacted].” (Benedict is 62 years old).

According to police, Michael Thomas Rahaim, 54, is a resident of 18 South Shore Road, Westminster, MA. According to the Westminster Police Department’s arrest report, Rahaim is single, not Hispanic, his general appearance is “disarranged,” and he’s unemployed.

“Rahaim has been the target in a three-month long drug investigation,” Det. Leblanc said. “During this time, surveillance was conducted with detectives within the NWCDTF and Massachusetts State Police. Also, these same members and I conducted controlled buys with Rahaim to purchase fentanyl.” (A “controlled buy” transpires when a covert law enforcement operative clandestinely acquires contraband—most often narcotics—from an individual under suspicion of criminal activity).

Det. Leblanc said that these controlled buys where what led to him obtaining a search warrant from the Gardner District Court for Rahaim’s residence located at 18 South Shore Road in Westminster.

“Detectives and I conducted a briefing at an undisclosed location for the execution of this search warrant,” Det. Leblanc said. “Shortly after this brief, at approximately 6:05 a.m., all members involved executed the search warrant.”

Det. Leblanc noted that every detective participating in the search warrant execution were wearing their department-issued ballistic vests, marked with ‘POLICE’ on both the front and back, and had their badges visible.

When the detectives arrived on scene, Det. Leblanc said he went to the front door, knocked loudly three times and announced, “POLICE, SEARCH WARRANT.”

“I heard yelling from inside the residence,” Detective Leblanc said. “The door was breached and the entry team secured everyone on scene.”

The parties police located on scene were as follows:

1. Michael Rahaim – located in his bedroom
2. Theresa Benedict – located on the couch in the living room
3. Anthony Benedict – located in his bedroom
4. Christa Curtis – located in the upstairs bedroom
5. Christopher Allen – located in the upstairs bedroom

“All parties on scene were secured and advised that there was a search warrant for illegal drugs,” Det. Leblanc said. “I read everyone their Miranda rights from the Westminster Police Department issued form. All parties present signed the form.”

Det. Leblanc said that, at this time, another responding officer, Sergeant Nate Hawkins, also of the Westminster Police Department, took photos of the residence, the two vehicles included in the search warrant and each person on scene.

“The K9 officers ran their dogs through the driveway on the vehicles involved,” Det. Leblanc said. “They did not enter the house due to several other animals in the residence. The K9s did not hit on the vehicles. The vehicles were searched and nothing of evidentiary value was located.”

Det. Leblanc added, “I spoke with Michael Rahaim in the dining room. Rahaim told me ‘It’s all mine’ and ‘it’s in my room.’”

According to Det. Leblanc, detectives located the following items, which were in plain view on a nightstand in Rahaim’s bedroom:

• A clear, knotted glassine (i.e., plastic) baggie with a light brown, powdery substance in it and a smaller tied-off glassine baggie with a light brown powdery substance inside weighing 7.5 grams. “Based on my training and experience, this appears to be fentanyl/heroin,” Det. Leblanc said.
• A white, rock-like substance weighing approximately 0.4 grams. “Based on my training and experience, I believe this to be crack cocaine,” Det. Leblanc said.
• “A scale with white residue on it consistent with the sale of illegal drugs,” was also located on the nightstand, according to Det. Leblanc. The officer added, “The white rock weighing 0.4 grams was located on the cover of the scale.”
• A tied-off, clear glassine baggie with yellow pills in it. “The pills have a heart shape on one side,” Det. Leblanc said. “I will be sending this out for testing.”
• Sandwich baggies “which through my training and experience are used to package illegal drugs for street sales,” Det. Leblanc said.

Inside a safe under the nightstand, detectives located the following:

• A clear, knotted-off, glassine baggie with a white, rock-like substance weighing approximately 5.8 grams.
• A log-shaped, light-brown hard substance wrapped tightly in a clear glassine baggie weighing approximately 10.5 grams. “Based upon my training and experience, I know this ‘log-shaped’ item to be a street term for a ‘finger’ of typically fentanyl/heroin. A finger is approximately 10 grams of fentanyl/heroin,” Det. Leblanc said.
• $9,300 dollars in US currency
• A prescription bottle with the name “AubreyLee Kenda” on it. The prescription was for buprenorphine naloxone, otherwise known as Suboxone. “There were 49 pills in this bottle,” Det. Leblanc said.

After searching the residence, Det. Leblanc placed Rahaim under arrest. He was handcuffed and booked without incident.  (According to a list of arrests from the Westminster Police Department, obtained by News Link Live via a FOIA request for all arrests made in January 2025, Rahaim was the only person arrested by the department on January 10).

“I weighed all of the suspected drugs at the Westminster Police Department,” Det. Leblanc said. “The total combined weight for the suspected crack cocaine is approximately six grams. The total combined weight for the suspected fentanyl/heroin is 18 grams.”

Rahaim was charged with the following:

1. Heroin/Morphine/Opium, Trafficking in 18 Grams or More
2. Possess to Distribute Class B Drug (two counts)
3. Fentanyl, Trafficking in More than 10 Grams

According to police, the value of the drugs/paraphernalia obtained in the execution of the search warrant were as follows:

1. 18 grams of heroin/fentanyl – $1,200.00
2. Six grams of crack cocaine – $500.00
3. 49 Suboxone pills – $250.00
4. Scale – $25.00
5. Sandwich Baggies – $5.00

Rahaim was arraigned in Gardner District Court on Jan. 10, 2025.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from January 2025, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

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