WEBSTER, MASS. — A Massachusetts man with 96 prior criminal charges was arrested yet again early Tuesday morning after police say a routine traffic stop spiraled into a fentanyl trafficking case — raising fresh questions about how many chances repeat offenders get before something changes.
According to police, officers stopped a vehicle on Park Avenue around 1:46 a.m. for an inspection sticker violation. The driver, identified as 34-year-old Ryan Hassett, was found to be operating with a suspended license. The passenger also did not have a valid license, leaving officers with no choice but to tow the vehicle.
That’s when the stop took a sharp turn.
Police say a search of the vehicle uncovered a rubber container holding fentanyl, crack cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Hassett was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters for booking, where officers say more drugs were discovered concealed on his person.
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Even that wasn’t the end of it.
After reviewing video from the rear prisoner compartment of the police cruiser, officers say Hassett was seen reaching into his underwear, pulling out three clear baggies filled with a white substance, and attempting to pass them through a metal grate inside the cruiser in an apparent effort to hide them. Officers recovered the baggies shortly afterward and determined they contained additional fentanyl and crack cocaine.
Authorities estimate the total amount of fentanyl seized at approximately 21 grams, a quantity large enough to trigger a trafficking charge under Massachusetts law.
Hassett was charged with trafficking fentanyl, possession of Class A and Class B drugs, and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
Police noted that prior to this arrest, Hassett had already accumulated 96 criminal charges on his Massachusetts record — a figure that has left many residents wondering how someone with such a lengthy history continued to cycle through the system.
Hassett is scheduled to be arraigned in court. As with all cases, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.