Raid in Pawtucket leads to arrest in Providence drive-by case
A Pawtucket man wanted in connection with a June 27 drive-by shooting on Providence’s Ophelia Street was arrested this week after police executing a search warrant found multiple firearms and drugs at his Newport Avenue apartment, authorities said.
The Rhode Island State Police identified the arrestee as Anthony Folcarelli, 30. Folcarelli was taken into custody Tuesday on a warrant charging him with felony assault with a dangerous weapon, drive-by shooting and several weapons and firearms-related offenses, the state police said. The warrant stemmed from an investigation by the Providence Police Department.
What led to the search
Providence police were investigating a shooting that happened shortly before 6:30 a.m. on June 27 on Ophelia Street, where a witness told officers that an occupant of a gray SUV with heavily tinted windows opened fire as the vehicle drove past, the Providence Department of Public Safety said in an email from Kristy dosReis, the department’s chief public information officer.
“Folcarelli was charged with a June 27 gun attack on Ophelia Street,”
That investigation led to a search warrant executed in Pawtucket. Pawtucket police said two men — Folcarelli and Davon Silva, 29 — were arrested during the operation on an array of state and federal-style drug and weapons counts.
What police say they found
Officers reported seizing multiple firearms and narcotics. The Pawtucket police release listed:
- Two pistols with automatic switches, one described as a ghost gun
- Two high-capacity magazines
- Cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine
| Item seized | Notes |
|---|---|
| Automatic-switch pistols | One identified as a ghost gun |
| High-capacity magazines | Two |
| Drugs | Cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine |
Charges brought
According to police, the defendants face a mix of charges that reflect both the Providence shooting probe and allegations stemming from the Pawtucket search. Charges announced included:
- Drive-by shooting and felony assault with a dangerous weapon (related to the Providence case)
- Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession while manufacturing or distributing narcotics
- Counts related to automatic conversion devices and large-capacity feeding devices
Investigators characterized the operation as part of a broader effort to disrupt violent crime and the illegal weapons and drug supply lines that feed it. No additional details on injuries from the Ophelia Street shooting were released in the media statements tied to the Pawtucket arrest.
Local context and implications
For Providence residents, the case underscores two persistent issues for city and state law enforcement: the intersection of illegal narcotics activity and gun violence, and the increasing frequency of modified or untraceable firearms such as ghost guns. Police across Rhode Island have emphasized multiagency enforcement — Providence investigators working with state and local partners — as a primary response when incidents cross municipal lines.
Prosecutions stemming from warrants and targeted raids can reduce immediate risks on city streets, but they also highlight continued enforcement challenges: tracking gun modifications, detecting automatic-conversion devices and stemming flows of fentanyl and other potent drugs. City leaders and public-safety officials have in recent years urged residents to report suspicious activity; those tips often provide the leads that culminate in warrants and arrests like this one.
Both Folcarelli and Silva remain in custody, and prosecutors will decide what charges to pursue formally as discovery and arraignments proceed. The Providence drive-by investigation remains active.
News Block will update this story as courts and police release more information.
