Bail Set At $1 Million Each For Suspects In Heroin Case

. Heroin bricks found in suitcase allegedly in possession of the three defendants. Courtesy photo.

– Allison Goldsberry

Three local men are each being held on $1 million cash bail after being arrested and charged for heroin possession.

Felix Valerio-Rodriguez, 27, Jose Fernandez Del Rosario, 23, and Manuel Gutierrez-Cunillera, 27, were arraigned in Malden District Court on Friday on charges including conspiracy to violate the drug laws and trafficking in heroin of more than 200 grams.

On Thursday afternoon State Police and Everett Police arrested the suspects near 33 Mystic View Road at the Gateway Shopping Center in Everett. Police say they found fourteen kilos of heroin divided into eighteen bricks inside a suitcase.

According to information released by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Judge Emily Karstetter imposed the following conditions should the defendants post bail: surrender passports, not travel outside Massachusetts without receiving court approval, and submit to GPS monitoring.

“The heroin confiscated has a street value of approximately one million dollars,” said District Attorney Ryan. “We see these arrests as having a two fold effect: this massive amount of heroin will not make it onto the street for illicit use and those who had allegedly planned to profit from people in the throes of addiction will be held accountable.”

The next hearing in their criminal cases has been scheduled for Friday, April 17.