Two Edgartown men are facing serious trafficking charges after Falmouth police say a speeding stop on Route 28 turned into a major cocaine bust on Thursday, March 5. Officers reported seizing roughly 407.85 grams of suspected cocaine, along with pills and assorted drug paraphernalia, and said the driver and passenger were booked on state trafficking and conspiracy charges. Both were being held at the county correctional facility on $10,000 bail.
In a Facebook post, the Falmouth Police Department said Oak Bluffs detectives, working with the DEA Cape Cod Task Force, had been tracking a target vehicle on Route 28 southbound on March 5. According to the post, Falmouth officers pulled the car over after clocking it at more than 90 mph, then executed a search warrant on the vehicle. Officers reported recovering approximately 407.85 grams of cocaine, as well as pills and paraphernalia, and arresting 32-year-old Keslley Luiz Xavier and 33-year-old Mateus Souza de Oliveira, both of Edgartown. Police said both men were charged with trafficking in cocaine (200 grams or more) and conspiracy, with bail set at $10,000.
Charges and possible penalties
The amount of cocaine police say they found puts the case in one of the tougher categories under Massachusetts drug law. Trafficking 200 grams or more of a Class B substance such as cocaine carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years and a maximum of 20 years in state prison, along with potential fines that can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Those tiered penalties, including lower mandatory minimums at smaller weight thresholds, are spelled out in Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 94C § 32E. G.L. c. 94C § 32E
How this fits regional task-force work
Multi-agency task forces that pair local detectives with federal agents have been behind several recent Island-to-Cape investigations. Earlier this year, Barnstable County officers intercepted a man accused of trying to move roughly a kilogram of cocaine to Nantucket, and in 2024 Oak Bluffs detectives and the DEA carried out search warrants linked to a Martha's Vineyard distribution probe. CapeCod.com reported on those cases.
What happens next
The Falmouth Police Department said the investigation remains active and that it is continuing to work with Oak Bluffs authorities and the DEA as the case moves through the courts, adding that anyone with information is encouraged to contact the department. The two defendants were transported to the Barnstable County Correctional Complex for booking and detainment at the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office facility in Bourne. The Falmouth Police Department and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office provided details.
