Undercover Operation Leads to Two Drug Arrests

An undercover operation by the Darien Police Department led to the arrest of two Norwalk men and the seizure of nearly 40 grams of marijuana on Friday.

Raphael Diaz, 23, and Everton Kinlock, 21, were charged with possession of marijuana, sale of marijuana, conspiracy to sell marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia when they were intercepted at an AutoZone (50 Cross Street) in Norwalk.

Diaz was charged separately with three counts of sale of marijuana and two counts of conspiracy to sell marijuana, which the department had obtained a warrant for based on its ongoing investigation.

The pair was arrested at the store around 3 p.m. by Darien Police and members of the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team, who were acting on the original warrant for Diaz. Kinlock, who was with Diaz at the time, was previously unknown to the department, said Captain Fred Komm.

With the assistance of the department's K9, Zulu, police conducted a search of the two men and of Diaz's 2009 Toyota Camry. A total of 39.1 grams of the drug was found on Diaz's person and in the vehicle, police said, much of which was packaged for sale.

The pair was arrested and processed at Darien police headquarters. Diaz posted $20,000 bond—$10,000 apiece for the seizure and warrant charges—while Kinlock posted $10,000 bond. both are set to appear in court August 2.

Komm declined to comment on the details of the undercover portion of the operation, other than to say that investigators had developed information over several weeks regarding Diaz's whereabouts at the time of the bust, and that the original charges stemmed from activity that took place in Darien.