LAWRENCE — A three-month investigation by local, state and federal authorities resulted in the arrests of three men whosold two kilograms of cocaine to an undercover officer in the city Wednesday night, police said.
The undercover officer paid $62,000 cash for the cocaine, which would have been worth $200,000 on the street once prepared for sale, police said.
Authorities said they had received information that Halinson Hernandez, 30, of Lynn, was part of a large cocaine trafficking organization.
Detectives from the Lawrence Police Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit, State Police Drug Task Force and the FBI-Boston Strike Force began an investigation and over time were able to introduce an undercover officer who had been purchasing large amounts of cocaine from Hernandez for several weeks, police said.
On Wednesday, after numerous calls between Hernandez and the undercover officer, Hernandez drove to an undisclosed location in Lawrence, and sold the undercover officer the cocaine.
He was arrested.
Two other men, who were with Hernandez but in a separate car that was being used to deliver the drugs, were also arrested.
Hernandez, Joel Gonzalez, 29, of Lynn, and Ryan Fulti, 20, of Salem, Mass., were all charged with trafficking cocaine over 200 grams and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Police said two search warrants were served in Lynn and two bank accounts and the contents of a safe deposit box were seized.
The results of the search warrants and the contents of the safe deposit box were not immediately available.
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