Crime & Safety

Three Arrested on Pot, Prescription Drug Selling Charges

Two men and a Darien woman were arrested after a Darien police investigation into the sale of prescription drugs, which included surveillance of a house in town.

Darien police gave this account (made up of allegations which have not been proven in court) of the investigation:

On Sept. 3, police in the selective enforcement unit stopped a vehicle driven by Robert Fragiacomo, 48, of Norwalk. The car was stopped for motor vehicle violations.

A "subsequent investigation" led police to search the vehicle with the help of Darien police dog Zulu. The search found 35 prescription medications, including  Hydrocodone, Diazepam, Alprazolam and Lorazepam. Police also found drug paraphernalia and  $7,776 in cash. Fragiocomo was arrested on various charges (see below).

Further investigation led police detectives to investigate Maria Devico, 48, of 7 Glenwood Drive. Police detectives and the selective enforcement unit applied for and received an arrest warrant for Devico, and detectives put her home under surveillance because "drug activity" was thought to be taking place there.

During the surveillance, Devico was seen leaving her home in a vehicle with Fragiacomo at the wheel. Police stopped the car and arrested Devico, charging her (under the arrest warrant) with illegal distribution of a controlled substance.

During the arrest, police found a small amount of marijuana on her. Devico was found to be in possession of marijuana, and she was subsequently charged with Possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana. She was released on a promise to appear in court.

The residence was searched on the 17th at which time a small amount of drug paraphernalia was seized.  Devico was released on a Promise to Appear and has a scheduled court date of 09/27/13.

During the motor vehicle stop, Fragiacomo was found to be unsteady on his feet.  Since he was the operator of the vehicle, Fragiacomo was put under a series of field sobriety tests which he failed.  Fragiacomo was arrested for Driving while under the influence.  He was able to post a $500.00  bond and has a scheduled court date of 09/27/13 at Stamford Superior Court for the DWI charge. 

During the vehicle stop, police saw that Fragiacomo, the driver, was unsteady on his feet. They gave him field sobriety tests, which he failed, and arrested him on a charge of driving while intoxicated.

Based on further investigation in Devico's home, police arrested Brian James, 48, of Port Chester, NY, when he pulled into Devico's driveway on Sept. 17. James had three plastic sandwich bags containing 1.75 ounces of marijuana in the car with him, along with $486.

These charges were filed against each of the three:

  • Fragiacomo was charged with obtaining drugs illegally, illegal sale of prescription drugs and use of drug paraphernalia. For these Sept. 3 charges, he was initially held on a $25,000 bond and appeared Sept. 17 in state Superior Court in Stamford.  For his Sept. 17 charge of driving while intoxicated he posted $500 bond and is to appear Sept. 27 in the same court.
  • In addition to the drug distribution charge in the arrest warrant, Devico was charged with possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. She was released on a promise to appear Sept. 27 in the same court.
  • James of Bush Avenue in Port Chester, was charged with possession of marijuana and sale of a controlled substance. He was initially held on $25,000 bond and appeared Sept. 18 in the same court.



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.