Two men were arraigned today in connection with the seizure of more than five kilograms of cocaine and a large quantity of cash that authorities believe are directly related to a major drug distribution operation in Chelsea, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

MANUEL A. CASTILLO (D.O.B. 1/11/77), who has residences in Chelsea and Revere, and FERNANDO MARCANO-GARCIA (D.O.B. 11/17/68) of Orlando, Florida, were arraigned today in Chelsea District Court on charges of trafficking in more than 200 grams of a Class B substance, conspiracy to violate the state’s drug laws, and violating the state’s drug laws in a school zone.

Chelsea District Court Judge D. Dunbar Livingston set bail for both men at $750,000, the amount requested by Assistant District Attorney Christopher Henry.

The charges cap a four-month Chelsea Police investigation into large-scale drug sales in and around Chelsea. That investigation included the cultivation of confidential informants, the use of surveillance, and the assistance of local and federal law enforcement partners.

Hidden from view, investigators watched Castillo leave his home with a backpack at 23-25 Highland Ave. in Revere yesterday afternoon and travel in a Mercedes-Benz ML500. An adult female and a young child were also in the vehicle.

Meanwhile, additional investigators watched as Marcano-Garcia arrived at the intersection of Spencer and Cary avenues. A short time later, Castillo arrived, retrieved his backpack from the rear of his car, and went with Marcano-Garcia into a nearby building.

Investigators believe the two conducted a drug transaction at that time, because when they stopped Marcano-Garcia on Webster Avenue a few minutes later, he had three kilograms of cocaine in a brown paper bag in the back seat of his Acura.

Detectives tailed Castillo as well, following him back to his Revere address and watching as he then exited that residence and entered a Ford Mustang, which he drove back to Chelsea. Police stopped the car and took him into custody. The execution of a search warrant on his Revere residence led to the recovery of another large quantity of cocaine and $125,647, and an another search warrant on a safety deposit box registered to Castillo yielded an additional $55,000 in cash.

Both men will return to court on April 17.