A Chelsea man faces drug-trafficking charges for the meth-stuffed Valentine's Day bear he allegedly accepted delivery of last week, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports, adding the package also contained several unadulterated heart-shaped Whitman's Samplers boxes of chocolate.
The DA's office reports postal inspectors noticed something odd about a package addressed to "Larry Lajoicki" at a Chelsea address and notified State Police, who sent a trooper to the general mail facility at South Station with a drug-sniffing dog, which promptly went nuts.
Troopers of the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit, Chelsea Police, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, and US Postal Service inspectors teamed up for a "controlled delivery" at the Chelsea home of Lawrence Ligocki the next day:
A postal inspector posing as a mail carrier knocked on Ligocki's front door and, when Ligocki answered, said he had an Express Mail package that was a day late. Ligocki allegedly answered, "I know."
Ligocki signed for the package, at which point the inspector identified himself and informed Ligocki that a drug-sniffing dog had alerted on the package. At this point, Ligocki allegedly stated that he wasn't expecting a package.
Investigators provided Ligocki a copy of the search warrant and opened the package. Inside were several heart-shaped Whitman's Sampler chocolate boxes and a stuffed teddy bear. Secreted within the bear were three bags of a substance that field-tested positive as crystal methamphetamine.
Prosecutors asked for bail of $100,000 because of the amount of drugs found - 96 grams. Judge Benjamin Barnes imposed $150 bail, the DA's office reports.
Innocent, etc.