New Bedford man sentenced in dual drug cases, fleeing before arraignment

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — A New Bedford man has been sentenced to state prison following convictions for two separate narcotics-trafficking cases and cutting off his GPS monitor and fleeing the day of his arraignment.

37-year-old Marcus Depina pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court Friday and was sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison.

The sentence will be followed by one year of probation, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office.

The first narcotics incident occurred in May of 2023 when Depina was seen entering a vehicle under New Bedford police surveillance.

During an attempted stop, Depina jumped out of the passenger side of the vehicle and discarded three bags of cocaine in nearby bushes.

He was arrested and found in violation of his probation from a vandalism case.

Depina was sentenced to nine months in the House of Correction, and posted $20,000 bail and was released with a GPS monitor in the May 2023 drug case.

He was the subject of a search warrant by New Bedford police at a Mill Street apartment on March 1, 2024, where investigators found a 24 gram bag of crack cocaine and a one gram bag of fentanyl.

The search also produced packaging materials and $852 in cash.

Depina was arrested and bailed by a court clerk and released and cut off his GPS bracelet on March 4 and fled.

March 4 was the date he was slated to be arraigned in New Bedford District Court.

He was located and arrested by police on March 12.