Driver Holding Cell Phone Arrested For Fentanyl Trafficking

Around 8:45AM on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, Trooper Paul Martin of the SP-Middleborough Barracks was patrolling Route 24 southbound in Raynham. Trooper Martin saw the operator of a black Nissan using his cell phone while driving the vehicle. Trooper Martin conducted a traffic stop due to the cell phone violation.

Trooper Martin approached the operator, JOSHUA BORDES, 24, of Taunton. BORDES was unable to produce a valid license, or the registration for the vehicle. While looking for the registration, BORDES opened the center console which contained a large stack of US currency wrapped in a band, a common indicator of drug activity. With no license in possession, or paperwork for the Nissan, Trooper Martin removed BORDES from the vehicle and detained him in the rear of his cruiser.

Trooper Martin conducted an electronic check of BORDES through the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Information Services, which revealed BORDES’s license was suspended, and he had two active warrants for his arrest. Trooper Martin informed BORDES he was under arrest and advised him of his rights.

Trooper Martin called for a tow of the vehicle and returned to the Middleborough Barracks with BORDES under arrest. The Nissan was swept by a drug-sniffing K9, and the dog indicated on the rear passenger door of the Nissan. Trooper Martin removed the interior panel to reveal a ‘hide’ in a void of the door. The hide contained four bags of fentanyl totaling roughly 40 grams.

JOSHUA BORDES was booked, fingerprinted, and photographed per department policy.

In addition to the active arrest warrants for BORDES, he was arraigned in Taunton District Court on charges of:

1. Trafficking In Fentanyl;

2. Operating A Vehicle With A Suspended License; and

3. Operating A Motor Vehicle While Holding An Electronic Device.