By Tiffany Williams –
TEWKSBURY, Mass. — A disturbing case involving alleged kidnapping, rape, drugs and a firearm has landed a Lawrence man behind bars after a swift arrest by police in Tewksbury.
Police say 35-year-old Carlos Candelario now faces a staggering list of serious felony charges following a report from a woman who told authorities she had been taken against her will.
According to investigators, the case began Tuesday, March 10, when Tewksbury Police were alerted that a woman reported she had left her home with a man and was brought to a location on Main Street in Tewksbury. Once there, she reported that she was held at the location against her will.
A preliminary investigation quickly identified Candelario as the suspect.
Police moved fast.
Officers tracked Candelario to a motel at 95 Main St. in Tewksbury, where they located and arrested him without incident.
What investigators say they discovered next only intensified the seriousness of the case.
During a search of Candelario’s motel room, officers found a loaded firearm along with multiple bags of suspected narcotics believed to include cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl.
Candelario is now charged with kidnapping, rape, deriving support from prostitution, trafficking of a person for sexual servitude, possession with intent to distribute a Class D drug, possession with intent to distribute a Class B drug (three counts), possession with intent to distribute a Class E drug, possession with intent to distribute a Class A drug, possession of a firearm without an FID card, and improper storage of a firearm.
Authorities say the arrest followed the victim’s report and the subsequent investigation that led officers directly to the suspect.
Candelario was arraigned in Lowell District Court and is currently being held without bail as the case moves forward.
The allegations paint a deeply troubling picture of violence, exploitation and dangerous drugs — a combination that investigators say they moved quickly to shut down once the victim came forward.