A 27-year-old narcotics trafficker with a history of violence, who also assaulted a fellow inmate in the Bristol County House of Corrections, was sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison last Friday, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III announced.

Joshua Sullivan pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with trafficking cocaine; possession with intent to distribute MDMA, also known as Ecstasy; unlawful possession of a firearm-subsequent offense;  unlawful possession of ammunition; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.

The defendant was the target of a New Bedford Police Department search warrant for two addresses on Linden Street in New Bedford, the district attorney reports.  

Officers executed the search warrants March 10, 2020 and located approximately 250 pills of MDMA; 26 grams of cocaine and crack cocaine; 11 suboxone tabs; a loaded .22 caliber Ruger; multiple scales; cut corner bags and more than $1,300 in cash, the district attorney reports.

 At the time of his arrest, the defendant was on probation in Middlesex County for a case involving a drug-related robbery which resulted in a victim being shot, the district attorney reports.

While incarcerated at the D June 1, 2020, Sullivan joined another inmate to gang up on a third inmate and violently assaulted him, the district attorney reported. 

The state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Renee Dupuis and the case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra.

“The defendant has a significant record including being on probation for serious offenses out of two courts when he committed these offenses,’’ District Attorney Quinn said. “He was not deterred by being on probation and even beat up another  inmate while in custody for these charges. He clearly is a danger to the community and needs to be kept off the street.’’