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Robert Smith, 56, is charged with distribution of a Class B substance (crack cocaine), second offense, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said. Smith has a pending Roxbury drug case, and a judge revoked his bail on that charge and imposed a $2,501 bail on the more recent count, the prosecutor said.
Smith, who has a criminal record 20 pages long that stretches back to the 1980s, was ordered to stay away from the Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard area as part of his bail requirements.
Police said they spotted Smith made several suspected drug deals with two other people. They stopped him as he boarded a bus bound for Roxbury Crossing and found nearly $2,000 in cash and two knives, officials said.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said he wants to clean up the crime problem in the 'Mass and Cass' area, but he wants to focus on those who bring trouble and not those suffering from the products of crime. Homelessness and drug addiction are serious problems that affect that area.
“Our primary targets at Mass and Cass are not the many individuals who find themselves there because of dependency issues, or homelessness issues, or mental health issues," he said in a news release. "Our targets are the people who prey on them by either supplying them with drugs or exploiting them for sex trafficking work. The area presents a complex set of problems requiring a multitude of responses from all levels of government and society."
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