Cops: Riverside couple used drones to deliver drugs
After receiving a tip from neighbors, Benjamin Paul Baldassarre, 39, and Ashley Lauren Carroll, 31, of Riverside, California, were arrested and charged on December 26 after police discovered their home was a drug dealing headquarters. Making matters worse, the Baldassarre’s nine-year-old daughter lived in the home where drugs were present and easily accessible. Police in Riverside also said that the couple used drones to deliver their drugs, according to MSN.
Baldassarre and Carroll were both charged with possession of controlled substances for sale, child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to The Press-Enterprise. At her Tuesday arraignment, Carroll pleaded not guilty to all charges and was held on $100,000 bail. Baldassarre’s arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday but has since been postponed, according to The Star-Telegram.
Police began investigating the couple’s Orangecrest neighborhood in Riverside earlier this month after someone reported drugs being dropped to customers from a drone. Last Thursday, police served a search warrant at the pair’s house, where they found “uncapped hypodermic syringes” and unpacked powders, believed to be fentanyl, littering a bedroom. ~ per MSN
“Detectives also located methamphetamine and suspected LSD-laced candies, as well as the drone used for the delivery of the illegal narcotics,” the Riverside Police posted to their Facebook page. Drugs were said to be littered and stored all throughout the house. “Baldassarre’s 9-year-old daughter was found in a bedroom with a vape pen containing marijuana in it,” according to MSN. The child was initially placed with Child Protective Services following Baldassarre and Carroll’s initial arrests, but was later released to the care of her biological grandmother.
Baldassarre and Carroll both have criminal records, are currently involved in an ongoing drug case and have been convicted of driving under the influence of drugs plus being under the influence of a controlled substance. For more on the California couple’s drone drug delivery service, see the video accompanying this article.
Written by: Ace News Today Staff
