NAUGATUCK — Police arrested an Ansonia man on drug charges early this week following an investigation that was sparked by a text on a dead man’s cellphone.
The investigation started Saturday when police conducted a welfare check on a 57-year-old man. Naugatuck police spokesman Lt. Bryan Cammarata said the man’s son, who lives out of town, asked police to check on his father because he hadn’t heard from him recently. When officers arrived at the man’s home they found him dead on a couch, Cammarata said.
Police did not release the man’s identity. Police don’t suspect foul play in the man’s death, Cammarata said, but it remains under investigation as they await the results of an autopsy. The man had a history of medical issues, he said.
While investigating the man’s death, police looked through his cellphone, which was on a table next to his body, and saw a text was sent with the message “Need 100,” Cammarata said. The message is known by officers as code used to buy drugs, he said.
Cammarata said police ran a check on the phone number the message was sent to and sent their own text to the number using the “Need 100” message. Police got a reply and arranged a meeting with a man, later identified as 28-year-old Rodney Coriano of 218 North State St., Ansonia, for Monday at about 4:45 p.m.
At the meeting, Cammarata said, officers announced themselves as police and saw a bag of marijuana on Coriano’s lap. Coriano admitted he was the one who sent the text, Cammarata said, and while officers were patting him down they saw clear bags in the car with crack cocaine and heroin in them.
Cammarata said Coriano had a total of 4 grams of heroin in 22 bags, a total of 5 grams of crack cocaine in 23 bags, and 3 grams of marijuana. Police charged Coriano with possession of heroin, possession of crack cocaine, possession with intent to sell narcotics, possession of controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell with 1,500 feet of a school. He was held on bond and scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on Tuesday.
