Peabody, Salem Men Arrested In 15-Pound Fentanyl Bust

SALEM, MA — Two North Shore men will be arraigned in federal court Friday on charges stemming from a massive fentanyl bust. Jose Esmerlin Diaz, 36, of Salem, and Manuel E. Tejeda, 39, of Peabody, were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Their arrests come after an investigation involving federal law enforcement, but the two men were also under investigation by local law enforcement.

Earlier this month undercover detectives arranged two separate buys in Woburn to purchase more than 40,000 pills for $6 each, according to the Salem News, which first reported this story. The pills contained fentanyl but had been made to look like Percocet pills. In addition to the 10.3 pounds recovered during the undercover purchases, investigators found another 4.8 pounds, a pill press and $150,000 in cash in a storage locker rented to Tejeda's mother-in-law