Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force arrested Mike Jean-Francois, 25, of Middleboro, Brandon F. Merkman, 31, of Sagamore, and Quentin Philip, 27, of Boston on Circuit Avenue Tuesday with 291 Percocet painkillers in their possession. Police said the men had traveled to the Island to sell the pills, worth approximately $15,000.
When officers stopped to talk to the three men, they noticed a large prescription bottle hidden in a hat. The bottle contained 268 Percocet pills. Police found 23 more pills on Mr. Phillip’s person in a subsequent search.
Percocet is a combination of acetaminophen, the drug found in Tylenol, and oxycodone, an Opiod used for treatment of pain. Each 30 mg spill has an estimated street value of $50, according to Detective Nicholas Curelli.
Police charged each of the three with Trafficking in a Class A Controlled substance and Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substance Act. They will be arraigned in Edgartown District Court Thursday morning, September 5.
Citing the nature of the charges and the suspects’ lengthy criminal history, bail was set at $5,000 cash each. Although a police spokesman would not give specific details about the suspects’ records, he did say that one of them had previous firearms charges, and the other two had previous convictions for possession with the intent to distribute.
