SHREWSBURY — A routine traffic stop turned into a drug trafficking investigation after officers discovered fentanyl, cocaine, and ammunition inside an unregistered pickup truck with mismatched plates and no inspection sticker.
According to a Statement of Facts submitted to Westborough District Court by the Shrewsbury Police Department, on Monday, March 24, 2025, a Shrewsbury officer used a Mobile Data Terminal (MDT)—a device in police cruisers for checking law enforcement databases—to run an inquiry on a black Chevy Silverado traveling on South Quinsigamond Avenue and Boston Turnpike.
The MDT inquiry indicated that the plate on the vehicle came back to a different, red Chevy Silverado. The inquiry also indicated that the vehicle’s operator, identified as Josmel Mercedes, 34, of Water Street in Fitchburg, had a license status of “expired nonrenewable.” In addition, the vehicle was unregistered and did not have an inspection sticker.
After stopping the vehicle, police conducted an inventory search and found:
- A plastic bag containing six grams of fentanyl (Class A drug)
- 32 Buprenorphine strips (Class B drug)
- A plastic bag containing three grams of cocaine (Class B drug)
Officers also discovered a .32 caliber bullet. According to police, neither Mercedes nor his passenger, Jerry Diaz, 33, of Orlando, Florida, had a valid firearm identification (FID) card or license to carry (LTC).
Diaz was unbuckled and, once identified, found to have an active arrest warrant. The officer handcuffed and searched him. A large knotted corner baggie containing many smaller baggies of purple powder—identified by the officer, based on his training and experience, as fentanyl—was recovered from Diaz’s front sweatshirt pocket. According to the Statement of Facts, the bag was weighed during booking and found to contain 82 grams of fentanyl.
Diaz’s warrant was from Fitchburg District Court for two counts of Assault & Battery.
Diaz was also charged with:
- Trafficking Fentanyl 36 Grams or More, less than 100 Grams
Mercedes was charged with:
- Possession Class A Drug (Fentanyl)
- Possession Class B Drug (32 Buprenorphine strips)
- Attach Plate Not Assigned
- Possess Ammunition without FID card
- Possession Class B Drug (Cocaine)
- No Inspection Sticker
- Unregistered Vehicle
- Unlicensed Operation of Motor Vehicle
Mercedes was arraigned in Westborough District Court on March 25, 2025.
Following his arraignment, he was released on $500 bail.
His next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for May 29, 2025.
Information regarding the arraignment and following court proceedings for Diaz was not contained in the Freedom of Information Request obtained by News Link Live.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from March 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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