BOSTON, Jan. 4, 2016—A Waltham man was arraigned last week on heroin trafficking and gun charges after he was arrested amid a drug investigation  at a downtown hotel, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

WENDY JOSEPH (D.O.B. 11/14/92) was arraigned Thursday in Boston Municipal Court on charges of heroin trafficking, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.  Assistant District Attorney Patrick Leeman of the DA’s Gun Prosecution Task Force requested bail of $100,000 and orders that Joseph wear a GPS monitor, remain under house arrest, surrender his passport, and remain within Massachusetts in the event he is released on bail.  Judge Robert McKenna imposed $2,500 bail and ordered Joseph to submit to GPS monitoring and a curfew if released.  He additionally ordered that Joseph be held for transport to Waltham District Court on a probation matter.  According to prosecutors, Joseph is currently on probation out of that court on a 2015 conviction for assault and battery.

According to prosecutors, Boston Police on Dec. 30 conducted surveillance at the Westin Hotel after receiving detailed information on two suspects distributing drugs at that location.  The suspects were described as a shorter man wearing blue jeans and a Chicago Bulls hat and a second, taller man wearing a maroon sweatshirt.  After observing three individuals from Somersworth, N.H., exhibiting signs of drug dependency as they entered and exited the hotel without any luggage, officers followed their vehicle and conducted a motor vehicle stop.  The individuals admitted to purchasing heroin at the hotel from a person known to them as “Hercules Jesus,” who was accompanied at the hotel by a second, taller man. A 22-year-old woman in the car turned over a small bag of heroin to police and will be summonsed to court at a later date.

Officers approached two men matching the suspects’ description – later identified as Joseph and an 18-year-old Cambridge man – after the two exited the hotel and walked to the area of Dartmouth and Tremont streets.  Joseph was found in possession of a.22 caliber Jennings semiautomatic handgun loaded with five rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, as well as a medium-sized plastic bag of heroin and 18 smaller bags of heroin weighting a total 39.7 grams, prosecutors said.  He was carrying $1,740 at the time of his arrest.

His companion was found in possession of a smaller quantity of heroin and will be summonsed to court on a later date.

Joseph was represented for bail purposes by Tracy Dudevoir.  He returns to court Jan. 28.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.