What started as an ordinary evening in the Cranberry Plaza parking lot ended with three men in handcuffs and a lockbox full of suspected drugs, according to Wareham police.
Detectives say that on March 31, they watched what they believed were drug deals unfold between two vehicles in the busy shopping center lot. When officers moved in, they report seeing suspected crack cocaine in plain view, then secured a warrant that led to a plastic lockbox containing a large quantity of suspected cocaine, suspected fentanyl and assorted pills.
Investigators say one of the men involved, 38-year-old Nicholas Veelenturf of Harwich, was found with the lockbox and a large amount of U.S. currency after officers spotted drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle. Police say they obtained a search warrant through Wareham District Court to open the box, which they report held the suspected narcotics and pills, according to Newport Dispatch.
Arrests and charges
Police identified the other two men at the scene as 35-year-old Corey Simpson of Buzzards Bay and 70-year-old John Cooney of East Wareham.
According to authorities, Veelenturf is charged with trafficking cocaine in the 36 to 100 gram range, two counts of distributing a Class B substance, possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance and possession with intent to distribute a Class C substance. Simpson is charged with possession of a Class E substance, and Cooney is charged with possession of a Class B substance, according to Boston 25 News.
Warrant work and what police say they found
Wareham detectives say the suspected crack cocaine and related paraphernalia were visible when they first walked up to the vehicle, which they note was enough to kick off the deeper investigation. From there, officers say they secured a warrant to search the plastic lockbox and formally log what was inside.
Police report that the box held a large quantity of suspected cocaine, suspected fentanyl and various pills, as detailed by Newport Dispatch.
Part of a broader Wareham crackdown
Local officers say this was not a one-off operation. The arrests are the latest in what the Wareham Police Criminal Investigation Division describes as a series of narcotics enforcement efforts this year.
In late February, that unit and partner agencies executed another warrant that police say turned up large amounts of suspected fentanyl, cocaine and pills and led to a separate arrest, according to The Week.
All three men from the Cranberry Plaza case were arraigned at Wareham Fourth District Court on April 1, 2026, the reports state. Police say the investigation is still active, and officials did not immediately release any additional details, according to Boston 25 News.
