To some, Vincent Ricci was a nondescript middle-aged guy from Medford struggling to keep his dress shop alive.

Yesterday, prosecutors charged that Ricci, 47, had a dark side: They described him as a heavily armed drug kingpin, responsible for flooding Middlesex County with huge amounts of cocaine.

Since 1994, police say, Ricci has imported 30 kilos of cocaine from Florida, channeling an estimated $7.5 million worth of the drug to users from Boston and the suburbs.

In a raid on Ricci's Medford home Thursday night, police said they seized 20 firearms, including a pistol in Ricci's pocket and several assault weapons. Police also confiscated an estimated $100,000 in cash.

Ricci and Christopher Brunco, 25, of Revere, who was described by authorities as one of Ricci's top lieutenants, pleaded not guilty in Somerville District Court to charges of cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to traffic. …