News

Feb 22, 2025

Manuel Barroso charged in major Lawrence drug bust, officials say

A Lawrence man was arrested after police seized thousands of pills, a brick of powder and $250,000 in cash from his home on Friday, Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker’s office said. Manuel

A Lawrence man was arrested after police seized thousands of pills, a brick of powder and $250,000 in cash from his home on Friday, Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker’s office said.

Manuel Barroso, 42, was taken into custody after police executed a search warrant at his home at 20 Crestshire Drive. He was arraigned later in Lawrence District Court on felony charges of trafficking more than 200 grams of fentanyl and trafficking more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, Tucker’s office said.

Barroso pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was ordered held without bail and a detention hearing is scheduled for July 10.

The charges were connected to a pill press operation found in a basement after police searched an apartment at 9 Salem St. on May 22, Tucker’s office said in a statement.

Advertisement

Police then found several five-gallon buckets of orange powder, bags of pills, and a pill press, the statement said. Barroso will likely face additional charges in connection to Friday’s drug bust, during which police seized thousands of orange and blue pills, a kilo-sized brick of powder, and nearly $250,000 in cash from his home on Crestshire Drive.

“Apprehending and prosecuting those dealing in these dangerous, often deadly, illegal drugs and getting these substances off of the streets makes our communities safer,” Tucker said in the statement.

Lila Hempel-Edgers can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @hempeledgers and on Instagram @lila_hempel_edgers.