RACINE – An investigation of a likely drug overdose death led to the arrest of a Racine man on an outstanding warrant for heroin delivery and other drug-related charges Friday.
Sergio A. Velasquez, 33, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office with two counts of possession of narcotic drugs-second and subsequent offense and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The charges include repeat offender penalties.
In addition, Velasquez was charged with four counts of manufacture/deliver heroin.
According to the criminal complaint, Racine County Sheriff’s Office deputies were investigating an apparent drug overdose death Friday morning. In searching the dead person’s phone, they came across a phone number associated with Velasquez, who had an active warrant. Deputies conducted a surveillance of his residence at 1631 North Wisconsin Avenue, where he was seen exiting and trying to re-enter.
Velasquez was detained and searched. According to the complaint, he was found to be carrying a pouch containing two used capped syringes, a pair of tweezers, a “cooker” cap, a red plastic container with numerous cotton tabs and a folded piece of pink paper containing a baggie corner holding “a gray chalky substance.” The substance tested positive for the presence of Fentanyl and heroin.
Velasquez was also arrested on a January 2020 warrant related to a Racine Metro Drug Unit investigation. According to that criminal complaint, a confidential informant purchased controlled substances – that tested positive for heroin – on four different occasions between April and July of 2019. The informant had positively identified Velasquez using photographs provided by drug unit officers, the complaint stated.
Velasquez made an initial court appearance on Monday where a $2,500 cash bond was set on the possession charges and a $2,500 cash bond was set on the heroin manufacture-deliver charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 5 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
He remains in the Racine County Jail.
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