63-year-old charged after police recover large amount of drugs in East Boston apartment

BOSTON, November 5, 2023 – An East Boston man is facing numerous drug charges after a several months-long investigation led to the recovery of 240 grams of fentanyl, 65 grams of cocaine, 12 grams of crack cocaine, and 10 pounds of marijuana from his home, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

ROBERT CIAMPI, 63, was charged Thursday in East Boston BMC with trafficking in cocaine more than 36 grams, trafficking in fentanyl more than 10 grams, possession with intent to distribute class A (subsequent offense), possession with intent to distribute class B (subsequent offense), possession with intent to distribute class C (subsequent offense), and possession with intent to distribute class D (subsequent offense).

Judge Debra DelVecchio set bail at $5,000 and ordered Ciampi to remain drug and alcohol free with GPS monitoring and home confinement except from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays for work. Ciampi is due back in court on December 6 for a probable cause hearing.

At Thursday’s arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Taylor referenced Ciampi’s prior record, which stretches back to 1975 and includes entries of various drug offenses and convictions. Ciampi served a four-year sentence on his most recent drug-related conviction.

At about 11:08 am, on November 1, Boston police executed a search warrant in an apartment at 54 Orleans Street in East Boston, belonging to Ciampi. Police located various narcotics throughout the apartment, including a plastic bag of white powder and a plastic bag of tan powder in a black chest located next to a crib, which belongs to Ciampi’s two-year-old child.

As a result, officers recovered approximately 240 grams of fentanyl, 65 grams of cocaine, 12 grams of crack cocaine, 10 pounds of marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and $7,500 in cash from the apartment.

According to the website AddictionResource.net, the street cost per gram of fentanyl runs between $150 and $200, making the street value of 240 grams as high as $48,000. 

Data released earlier this year by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health showed that opioid-related overdose deaths in the state rose 2.5 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, and that 2022 overdose deaths were 9.1 percent higher than the pre-pandemic peak in 2016. The data also showed that fentanyl was present in 93 percent of fatal opioid overdoses where a toxicology report was available.

“Fentanyl is a death drug, plain and simple. The amount seized here—240 grams of fentanyl, plus sizeable quantities of other drugs—represents a tremendous amount of potential human devastation. We’ve seen the impact of fentanyl use all over Suffolk County, both in concentrated areas like Mass and Cass and in countless locations throughout our neighborhoods.  We will not relent in pursuing the people who are trafficking this killer substance,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications