BOSTON, May 4, 2017— A Dorchester pastor was held on high bail yesterday after investigators recovered a large cache of powerful narcotics in his Quincy Street church, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

WILLIE WILKERSON (DOB 8/27/58) of Dorchester was arraigned yesterday in Roxbury Municipal Court on charges of trafficking cocaine, trafficking a Class B substance, trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute a Class C substance, and possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance.  Assistant District Attorney Kristen Sullivan recommended $75,000 cash bail; Judge Debra DelVecchio set bail at $50,000 and ordered Wilkerson to wear a GPS monitor and remain within Massachusetts in the event he posts that amount.  At Sullivan’s request, DelVecchio additionally revoked Wilkerson’s open bail on a case out of the same court charging larceny over $250. 

Sullivan told the court that members of the Boston Police City Wide Drug Control Unit on Tuesday executed search warrants at Wilkerson’s Baker Avenue home, the Quincy Street church where he served as pastor, and a food truck. 

Police approached Wilkerson outside his residence prior to the execution of the search warrants.

During a search of the church office, police located a large bag containing what appeared to be crack cocaine, a baggie of fentanyl hidden inside a printer, baggies containing a total of 50 oxycodone pills, and 84 suboxone strips. Officers also recovered indicia of drug distribution, including an apparent drug ledger found on a desk along with a pastor certificate bearing Wilkerson’s name.  Police found cash and digital scales at Wilkerson’s home, and clonazepam and crack cocaine were recovered from inside a coffeemaker in the food truck, prosecutors said. 

In total, police recovered $10,412 in cash, 34 grams of apparent crack cocaine, 11 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl, 87 suboxone strips, 50 oxycodone pills, and 32 clonazepam tablets.

Sullivan noted that Wilkerson had defaulted on 25 dates in prior cases and served two years on a prior Suffolk County drug trafficking conviction.

Wilkerson was represented by John Osler and returns to court June 1.

–30–

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