An on-duty mail carrier and three other Gloucester residents have been arrested for an alleged Oxycontin dealing in a bust that Gloucester Detective Ken Ryan says should rein in a "substantial dealing" of the drug within the city.
The sting and subsequent arrests were carried out Monday by Gloucester Police detectives — with the help of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Postal Inspector offices following a investigation that carried over several weeks, authorities said.
The postal worker is a Gloucester man police said was selling Oxycontin while delivering on his mail route.
Stephen R. Hale, 30, of 15 Summer St., was arrested Monday while making his rounds on Mondello Square, off Bass Avenue and is facing charges of illegal possession of a class A substance and attempting to commit a crime.
He has been administratively suspended without pay by the U.S. Postal Service, and is due to be arraigned in Gloucester District Court Tuesday.
Hale is also facing larceny charges after police say that, while under surveillance, he was caught opening a letter mailed by a Gloucester woman and stealing $10 out of it.
Also facing charges as a result of the police surveillance and sting are Donald J. Purington, 30, of 8 Brightside Ave., and Anita J. Steele, 26, of 8 Brightside Ave. They are facing charges of uttering a false prescription.
A fourth suspect — Amber Emery, 20, of 40 School St. — is facing larceny charges after police say she stole thousands of dollars of jewelry from a friend and pawned it at pawn shop at the Northshore Mall in Peabody. According to police, Emery is Hale's girlfriend.
The investigation — carried out by Gloucester Police Detectives Ryan, Steve Mizzoni, Sean Connors, Thomas Quinn and Sgt. Michael Gossom along with Special Agents Chris Kennedy and Jeff Powers of the DEA — executed a search warrant at the home of Steele and Purington this morning, where they found quantities of Oxycontin and other evidence linking them to the investigation according to police detectives.
According to Ryan, Purington and Steele were making false prescriptions on a home computer and forging a doctor's name onto them.
Ryan said the pair were filling their prescriptions at several pharmacies in Gloucester, Beverly and Peabody.
The investigation is still active, according to police detectives.
Nick Curcuru can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3461, or at ncurcuru@gloucestertimes.com.
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