Updated April 22
Tisbury Police Det. Charles Duquette led a nighttime heroin bust at the Steamship Authority’s Vineyard Haven terminal on April 19. The arrest came after Duquette, members of the Martha’s Vineyard Drug Task Force, and two uniformed Tisbury police officers executed a search warrant. Jeffrey Owen Cook, 59, of Oak Bluffs, was charged with trafficking 36 to 100 grams of heroin. Cook was allegedly found with approximately 48 grams of heroin, according to Duquette.
Cash and cell phones were also allegedly recovered during the search and arrest. Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Matt Palazzolo said in Edgartown District Court on Friday the cash amounted to “approximately $1,300.”
Cook pleaded not guilty to the charge Friday. Palazzolo requested Cook’s bail be set at $25,000 on the heroin charge, that his bail be revoked and that he be held for up to 90 days on a matter out of Plymouth involving an incident at a hospital.
Cook’s attorney, Robb Moriarty, said while his client is facing a “serious allegation” that could result in “serious potential prison time,” he is homeless and a self-admitted “drug addict” working on treatment and therefore shouldn’t be punished with unattainable bail. Moriarty requested bail of $5,000 and that the court not revoke bail on the Plymouth matter.
Judge Benjamin Barnes set Cook’s bail at $150 with curfew conditions on the heroin charge and revoked his bail on the Plymouth matter.
A probable cause hearing was slated for May 20.
The Det. Duquette also told The Times off-Island, a gram of heroin might sell for $40 to $60 but on the Vineyard a gram starts at $100 and in some instances, can sell for as much as $200. Duquette also said more and more police are finding illegal drugs are laced with fentanyl. However, testing has not yet taken place to determine if the heroin that was recovered contains fentanyl.
Updated with details from Edgartown District Court.
