A search warrant executed at an alleged drug dealer’s Dorchester residence turned up a loaded handgun, 400 rounds of ammunition, a laser sight, and a bulletproof vest in addition to narcotics, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JOSEPH SARRO (D.O.B. 6/13/81) was arraigned yesterday in Dorchester District Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, and possession of Class A and Class D substances with intent to distribute.

Assistant District Attorney Gretchen Sherwood recommended that Sarro be held on $150,000 cash bail. Judge Robert Baylor set bail at $100,000 cash.

Members of the Boston Police District B-3 Drug Control Unit were surveilling Sarro’s King Street residence on Sunday afternoon when they saw him making his way to the front porch. They approached, identified themselves, and read him his Miranda rights. One officer presented him a copy of their search warrant and asked if he had any contraband on him, at which time Sarro allegedly directed them to about a gram of heroin in his right pants pocket. The officers also recovered $907 in cash from his other pocket and an Apple iPhone from the ground where Sarro dropped it.

Once inside Sarro’s apartment, Sarro allegedly told the officers about a second bag, also apparently containing heroin and weighing about four grams, in his right sock, and informed them of a handgun, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest in his room. Sarro is said to have claimed ownership of the items and indicated that he sells marijuana to support a drug habit.

Following up on that statement, the officers searched Sarro’s bedroom. There they recovered a Ruger P345 .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun loaded with eight rounds; a BSA laser sight; a bulletproof vest; 47 live shotgun shells; almost 300 rounds of ammunition in calibers ranging from .22 to .45; an additional $800 in cash; five bags of marijuana in various sizes; and assorted drug paraphernalia such as scales and plastic baggies.

“It was an ammo cache in the heart of a residential neighborhood,” Conley said.
Sarro was represented by attorney Anne Rousseve. He will return to court on Feb. 21.