The Norton and Medford man already being held without bail in connection with the motor vehicle crash that killed a 54-year-old Middleboro woman has been indicted on a series of new drug trafficking and illegal firearm charges, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn has announced.

Hector Bannister-Sanchez, 34, is already being held without bail on charges of second degree murder and reckless motor vehicle homicide following the Nov. 7, 2022 crash on Kingman Road in Taunton that killed Lori Medeiros. 

He was indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury last week on new charges of trafficking in excess of 200 grams of a Class B drug, trafficking in excess of 100 grams of a Class B drug, trafficking in excess of 36 grams of a Class A drug, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior felony conviction.

 The narcotics and illegal firearms-related indictments resulted from a search warrant executed at a stash house in Norton where investigators found approximately 750 grams of suspected cocaine, approximately 70 grams of suspected fentanyl powder, approximately 240 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, approximately 182 grams of suspected methamphetamine pills, a Glock 19 firearm with a large capacity magazine containing 11 rounds, approximately $46,130.00 in cash, paperwork for the defendant, drug packaging materials and drug ledgers and notes, the district attorney reported. 

 He will likely be arraigned in Fall River Superior Court on these new indictments on Feb. 22, which is the date he is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on the second degree murder and reckless motor vehicle homicide case. 

During the defendant’s Jan. 10 arraignment in Fall River Superior Court on the indictments for the motor vehicle charges, Assistant District Attorney Kaitlyn O’Leary told the court that the defendant was the target of a four-month long drug investigation leading up to the events of Nov. 7.