Local ties cited in drug bust affidavit

At one point last June, federal agents and Watertown police stopped a black Mercedes near Summer Street and Waverley Avenue and discovered $70,000 in a shoe box inside a duffle bag on the floor of the car, according to the affida vit, which said the money was in $10,000 bundles. In an instance about a month ago, investigators said they saw two suspects arrange to deliver 40 pounds of marijuana from an Oakley Road home in Watertown.

One single-family home in Waltham that was allegedly used to store large amounts of drugs and cash is near a sports field, wading pool, and playground.

“Of course, I am alarmed by the allegations that illegal drugs were found so close to a playground where children are present, and in such a peaceful neighborhood like Lowell Field,’’ said Waltham City Councilor Gary Marchese.

“Unfortunately, this case reminds us that the distribution and use of illegal drugs is not isolated to inner-city neighborhoods but can be found anywhere,’’ he said.

The federal case began in February 2010 with an investigation into a drug-smuggling ring that was bringing marijuana from Canada to warehouses in Andover and Rhode Island, among other locations. Agents have been staking out suspects in Watertown and other area communities since April 2010, federal records show.

Wiretaps revealed the suspects discussing hundred of thousands of dollars in alleged drug money and the distribution of marijuana, Ecstasy, cocaine, and Percocet, a prescription painkiller. One of the defendants owns a Roxbury convenience store where last October a mother of four was gunned down.

A federal agent’s affidavit indicates that Watertown was a main hub for Safwan “Sammy’’ Madarati, 36, who was arraigned Thursday in Boston and is being held until a July 6 hearing. On Friday, Watertown’s police chief said Madarati attempted to befriend police officers and town residents.