BOSTON (WHDH) - An Uber driver is due in court after being accused of selling heroin to undercover state troopers.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, 26-year-old Ariel Pimental, of Lawrence, was arraigned in South Boston Municipal Court on charges of distributing a Class A substance and heroin trafficking.
Pimental became the subject of a tip to State Police detectives this past summer about an Uber driver distributing heroin in and around Boston. Undercover troopers allegedly made six purchases from him in the fall.
On Nov. 14, a Suffolk Superior Court judge approved warrants for Pimental’s home as well as his Uber vehicle. Later that afternoon, State Police stopped the vehicle on Congress Street and arrested him.
During the arrest, troopers said they recovered three bags of heroin. A subsequent search of his apartment allegedly recovered 26 grams of heroin and around $4,000 in cash. In total, troopers said they recovered 48 grams of heroin — nearly 500 doses.
Pimental was arraigned in South Boston Wednesday on two distribution charges and one charge of trafficking heroin.
In a statement, Uber said they have removed Pimental’s access to the app, saying, “Uber has a zero tolerance policy for the use of drugs and alcohol.”
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