What began as a predawn traffic stop on a quiet Hooksett road quickly grew into a drug and firearm case spanning two New Hampshire communities, two search warrants, a SWAT operation and allegations involving more than a kilogram of suspected fentanyl.
Matthew Stark, 38, of Gilmanton Iron Works, now faces multiple drug and weapon-related charges after police linked evidence from a May vehicle search in Hooksett to a July investigation in Manchester. Authorities say the two searches uncovered suspected fentanyl, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, cocaine, cash, and three firearms. The charges remain allegations. Stark has not been convicted in connection with the case.
A routine traffic stop opened the investigation.
The case began at about 3:25 a.m. on May 11, when a Hooksett police officer stopped a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer on West River Road. Police said the vehicle’s registrations were suspended, meaning the driver and passenger could not legally continue from the scene.
Stark was identified as the passenger. After the officer reportedly saw drug paraphernalia inside the car, the stop shifted from a vehicle-related enforcement action to a search-warrant investigation. The officer decided to seize the vehicle while seeking judicial permission to search it.
According to Hooksett police, Stark asked to remove a backpack that he said belonged to him and was stored in the trunk. The officer refused because the vehicle was being preserved for a search-warrant application.
That decision became pivotal. Instead of opening the bag immediately, investigators waited for a judge to authorize the search, creating a documented chain from the roadside stop to the evidence police later said they recovered. The backpack became the basis for the first set of felony allegations.
The May search produced a major suspected drug seizure.
Police searched the vehicle on May 13 after obtaining a warrant. Inside the backpack, investigators reported finding about 720 grams of suspected fentanyl shaped into pressed sticks, roughly 70 grams of crack cocaine, a scale, and more than $7,000 in rolled and banded cash.
Hooksett police then secured an arrest warrant accusing Stark of subsequent drug possession and controlled-drug sales offenses, including a fentanyl sale charge. The substances remain described as “suspected,” reflecting that laboratory confirmation and courtroom examination still form part of the legal process.
Hooksett police said they shared information with other law-enforcement agencies so those agencies could continue related investigations. That handoff linked the May seizure to events in Manchester nearly two months later.
Multi-agency cooperation can transform an isolated traffic stop into a broader investigation, particularly when officers believe the evidence may point to additional locations, property, or offenses. In this case, police focused on a Spruce Street apartment where Manchester investigators believed Stark was staying.
A Manchester SWAT search raised the stakes.
Manchester police said members of the Special Enforcement Division gathered information that Stark was residing at an apartment at 363 Spruce Street. Investigators obtained a search warrant, and the Manchester SWAT Team executed it with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The use of a SWAT team signaled the seriousness and potential risk officers associated with the operation, though it did not establish guilt. Police reported that the search uncovered another cache of suspected drugs, money, and firearms.
The second alleged cache nearly matched the first.
During the Spruce Street search, officers said they seized approximately 701 grams of suspected heroin or fentanyl, 119 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 112 grams of suspected crack cocaine, and 17 grams of suspected cocaine. Police also reported recovering an undisclosed amount of cash.
Together, the Hooksett seizure and the Spruce Street search involved about 1,421 grams, or 1.42 kilograms, of suspected fentanyl or heroin-fentanyl material. Police also reported a combined total of roughly 182 grams of suspected crack cocaine across the searches.
Three firearms added another layer to the case.
Manchester investigators reported seizing three guns from the apartment: a Ruger 1911 .45-caliber handgun, a GSG Tactical .22-caliber handgun, and a Remington-style revolver. The firearm discovery led to an armed career criminal charge, according to police.
That allegation may become one of the most closely examined parts of the prosecution because authorities must prove unlawful possession and every legal element attached to the charge. The presence of firearms beside suspected trafficking quantities also adds a more serious public-safety dimension.
Authorities ultimately took Stark into custody during a motor vehicle stop in Manchester. Published reports place the arrest around July 8 or July 9, with the agencies differing by one day in their timelines.
Manchester police listed warrants involving the sale and possession of controlled drugs, an armed career criminal charge, and driving after revocation or suspension. Stark was later transferred to the Hooksett Police Department for processing on that department’s warrant and held at the Merrimack County House of Corrections pending arraignment.
Court records show a long history of prior cases.
Patch reported that Stark’s court history reaches back more than 20 years and includes prior guilty pleas involving second-degree assault, felony theft, bail jumping, drug sales, burglary and weapon possession.
The record also includes suspended sentences, probation matters, jail terms, and work-release decisions. Those earlier cases do not prove the current allegations, but qualifying convictions could become legally relevant to the weapon charge and future bail or sentencing arguments. Any use of that history will depend on certified court records and the judge’s rulings. The scale of the alleged seizures will draw public attention, but the case now moves into a process built around evidence, laboratory testing, and legal challenges.
Prosecutors must connect the seized property to Stark and prove the knowledge and intent required for each charge. Defense attorneys may challenge the searches, the ownership or control of the backpack and apartment, the handling of evidence, and the legal basis for enhanced charges. Until a guilty plea or verdict resolves the case, Stark remains presumed innocent.
