Man arrested after two-month drug trafficking probe

LACONIA — A Laconia man is being held in jail after being arrested and charged with selling drugs out of his apartment close to downtown.

Laconia police arrested Norman H. Smith, 45, of 11C Jewett St., on five charges of possession of a controlled drug with intent to sell. The arrest culminated a two-month-long investigation, Police Chief Matt Canfield said.

The drugs which Smith is alleged to have sold were fentanyl, heroin, or a combination of the two, Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois said. Smith was arraigned Tuesday and was ordered held without bail in Belknap County Jail, the prosecutor added.

Laconia detectives arrested Smith at about 9 a.m. Monday, as they executed a search warrant and arrest warrant at Smith’s apartment, Canfield said. The detectives had support from department patrol officers, as well as members of the regional SWAT team, the chief said. The block-long section of Jewett Street between Union Avenue and River Street was blocked off during the operation as a precaution.

Canfield said Smith had been under surveillance by Laconia detectives for about two months. During that time police used an undercover informant who was able to make five controlled drug purchases between Feb. 17 and Feb. 25, according to affidavits filed to show probable cause for Smith’s arrest.

In addition to the drug charges, Smith was also arrested on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Canfield said that charge sprang from an 11-year-old boy allegedly being in Smith’s apartment during one of the controlled drug buys. The child was not in the apartment when Smith was arrested. The state’s child service agency has been notified about the matter, the chief said.

Another child, an 11-year-old girl, was inside the apartment on Monday. She was turned over to the custody of her mother.

Also arrested was Naomi Adams, 39, who Canfield identified as a transient, who was charged with criminal trespass. The building owner had an order that Adams stay away from the premises, Canfield explained.

Five other people who were inside the apartment at the time were detained but subsequently released. Canfield said most of them were transients “with no permanent home.”

The chief said police found a small quantity of drugs inside the apartment, along with a used syringe and a sawed-off shotgun. He suspected that some drugs that were inside the apartment may have been flushed down the toilet before police were able to get inside.

“They were moving a significant amount of drugs out of the apartment,” Canfield said. “I think this operation will interrupt part of the drug trade in the city at least for a time.”

Canfield said further charges may be filed in the case.