Four adults in their early twenties have been arrested and will face drug charges after a trooper pulled over a vehicle during a traffic stop and found 1,250 small bags of heroin labeled "Obama Care" and "Kurt Cobain," according to The Boston Globe.
The four people: Tyler Robenstein, 23, and Ashley Beaulieu, 21, are both from Colchester, Vermont; Marquese Jones, 22, and Sherod Green, 21, are both of Newark and were all in a car that was pulled over on Interstate 91 after a state trooper stopped the vehicle for several traffic violations around 3 a.m. on Saturday, according to The Globe.
Boston state police said the vehicle was stopped in Hatfield and the unlicensed driver, Robenstein, is being charged with trafficking heroin, conspiracy to drug laws, possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance, speeding, driving without a license and failure to change lanes for an emergency vehicle, The Globe reported.
Robenstein is being held on a $1,000 bail, according to Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan's office, The Globe reported.
Beaulieu, Green and Jones are all being charged with trafficking heroin, conspiracy to violate drug laws, a possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance, according to The Globe. Beaulieu, the only female in the group is being held on $500 bail, Green and Jones are being held on a $5,000 bail.
All four were arraigned in Northampton District Court and entered not-guilty pleas, prosecutors said, The Globe reported. All four will be back in court on Jan. 17.
The state trooper who stopped the car noticed there was evidence of illegal narcotics while talking to the driver, leading to a K-9 unit being brought in which then located the narcotics, The Globe reported.
Trooper Todd Nolan, a State Police spokesman, said the bright red letters reading "OBAMA CARE" written on the heroin bags are just a form of labeling a product.
"To the best of our knowledge, it's like branding," Nolan said, adding that drug dealers usually label their product so buyers can know where it is coming from, according to The Globe.
"I think it's whatever the person decides to put on it. So if the junkies who are buying them go, 'Wow, that Obamacare stuff was really good,'" Lieutenant Daniel Richard, adding that each of the bags weighed 0.3 grams, Politico reported.
