Johnston man arrested on several drug, gun charges

Rhode Island State Police announced Wednesday morning that members of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, or HIDTA, arrested a Johnston resident on narcotic and firearms charges.

As a result of a court-authorized search warrant, HIDTA Task Force members arrested Taylor Rego, 24, 839 Sanderson Road, on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver; possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver; possession of between one ounce and one kilogram of fentanyl with intent to deliver; possession of more than five kilograms of marijuana with intent to deliver; and two counts of possession of a firearm while committing a controlled substance violation.

State Police say 238 pills containing fentanyl, approximately 19 pounds of suspected marijuana, 39 mature marijuana plants, 22 marijuana seedlings, $2,000 in cash and a shotgun and pistol, both with ammunition, were seized from Rego’s residence.

Rego was processed at the Lincoln Woods Barracks and arraigned in Third Division District Court, where he was held without bail.

Any person found guilty of possession of one ounce to one kilo of fentanyl may be imprisoned for a term up to 50 years and fined not more than $500,000. The same goes for any person found guilty of possession of one kilo to five kilos of marijuana.

The HIDTA Task Force is managed by Rhode Island State Police. It is comprised of members from the Rhode Island State Police, Lincoln Police, Pawtucket Police, Providence Police, North Providence Police, Middletown Police, West Warwick Police, Adult Correctional Institution-Special Investigations Unit, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations.