By Jessica Selby

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A Coventry man was among more than a dozen other individuals to be arrested following a year and a half long investigation by the Rhode Island and Massachusetts State Police.

Carmine Appolonia, 56, of 18 Read Ave., Coventry, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, delivery of a controlled substance, and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance.

“We alleged [Carmine Appolonia] made a delivery of vicodin during that period of our investigation,” said Lieutenant Colonel Steven G. O'Donnell, deputy superintendent and chief of field operations.

“Delivery is delivery,” he said, “Anytime you deliver a controlled substance to somebody it is a serious felony.”

According to O'Donnell, this arrest and the multiple others that were made were based on a year long undercover investigation aimed at three primary suspects. He said it was only through the initial investigation that the other arrests were made, he said.

“A lot of the arrests including this one are offshoots of the three main targets we had —Nick Pari, Gerry Tillinghast and Lloyd Morse,” he said. “But anytime you are dealing with organized criminal organizations, there are all sorts of people that their tentacles reach, if it is not drug dealing, its stolen goods or counterfeit goods. It is just the unintended consequences of your investigation.”

The investigation started in September 2007. According to a press release issued by the Rhode Island State Police, Detective Scot Baruti, who is assigned to the Intelligence Unit, was contacted by a cooperating source who advised that a subject identified as Nicholas “Nicky” Pari was actively involved in operating and managing a large scale criminal operation based out of the Valley Street Flea Market located at 500 Valley Street, Providence.

It is stated in the release that Nicholas S. Pari, age 71, of 4 Eben Street, North Providence was known to members of the Intelligence Unit due to his long-standing association with members of the Patriarca organized crime family and his criminal history which includes a manslaughter conviction in 1979. Nicholas Pari and Andy Merola were convicted in their roles in the April 3, 1978 killing of Joseph “Joe Onions” Scanlon. The body of Scanlon was never recovered. On appeal, the Rhode Island Supreme Court later overturned the conviction. In 1982, Pari agreed to plea to a lesser charge of manslaughter and received a seven-year prison sentence with thirteen years suspended.

According to the release, members of the Intelligence Unit enlisted a wide array of resources to successfully infiltrate Pari’s criminal operation, including the use of undercover detectives from the Rhode Island State Police and Massachusetts State Police, as well as the use of court-authorized wiretaps. Detectives and the cooperating source were able to make narcotics and firearms purchases from Pari and his associates. During many of these transactions, counterfeit trademarked handbags and sneakers were provided to Pari in exchange for the narcotics and firearms. It is stated in the release that Pari would often utilize his criminal partner, Lloyd Morse, age 50, of Cranston to facilitate these illegal transactions on his behalf. In addition to selling narcotics and firearms, Pari and his associates were involved in a wide range of illegal activity to include fencing stolen goods, sale of stolen jewelry and setting up thefts of catalytic converters.

It is stated in the release that members of the State Police, as well as members of the Providence, Johnston, and Cranston police departments and the FBI fanned out across several communities yesterday executing court-authorized arrest and search warrants relating to the case.

O’Donnell said that no one — law enforcement officers or suspects — were injured in the investigation and he said all of the arrests were made without incident.

All of the arrested individuals were arraigned at Sixth District Court in Providence on yesterday.

O’Donnell said that narcotics and firearms were also seized during the execution of those warrants. He said that the investigation continues and that police anticipate more charges and arrests. Several vehicles were also seized pending forfeiture proceedings relating to the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations statutes.

“We do not compare or contrast investigations because they are all unique in what they are,” O’Donnell said. “Typically we do not arrest everyone that is involved in things because we only arrest people we have knowledge of, but the scope of this investigation and obviously the several major players involved historically — Nicolas Pari, he was in jail for murder and so was Gerry Tillinghast, he was doing a life when he was released in 2007 for a 1978 killing — make this an important investigation. It also shows that apparently those and several others involved have not seen the error in their ways and continue on in their life the way they had previously chose to live.”

According to the Attorney General’s press office director, Michael J. Healey, Appolonia was yesterday ordered held without bail. A bail hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1 in Providence District Court.