Authorities in Massachusetts say dozens of arrests were made as three drug trafficking investigations came to a head this month, including one that spanned the region and part of New York.
Tables covered in handguns, long guns and drug paraphernalia were laid out at the Hampden District Attorney's Office Tuesday - a fraction of what authorities say was seized as federal, state and local authorities collaborated over the past two weeks alone.
“… the teams involved in these operations brought 52 alleged criminals to justice,” said Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant Colonel Marc Lavoie during Tuesday’s press conference. “The defendants in these cases range in ages from 19 to 68 years-old-and come from Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield, Greenfield and the Bronx, New York. The impact of these arrests is real and profound.”
Speaking alongside MSP and Springfield police, DA Anthony Gulluni says two of the three operations go back at least a year, with the oldest dating back to October 2022.
That's when his office's Narcotics Task Force and Strategic Action & Focused Enforcement Task Force began homing in on two businesses at the corner of Orange and White Streets. The Forest Park intersection had seen an uptick in calls to police, he noted.
"...October 2022 through October ’24, specific to the area of the Garcia Market and Angel’s Used Appliances, the Springfield Police Department received 12 calls for an individual with a gun, two calls for gunshot victims, 24 ShotSpotter activations and 46 calls from the public for shots fired,” the DA said.
Gulluni's office alleges the businesses served as fronts for drug trafficking involving an unnamed "Drug Trafficking Organization."
Following a wire investigation, police moved on May 15 to seize more than 12,000 grams of suspected cocaine, 530 grams of fentanyl and 15 firearms.
19 suspects were arrested on drug and firearms-related counts, with some facing allegations of reckless endangerment of a child and unlicensed operation of a vehicle, according to his office.
That same week, new arrests were made in the case of another drug trafficking operation –involving suspects in Hampden County and the Bronx.
Gulluni says it started with an investigation last summer, involving the Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, or CINRET, and the arrest of Anthony Perez of Springfield.
“In August ’24, CINRET West executed search warrants in the city and seized approximately 560 grams of heroin and fentanyl and four firearms and arrested Mr. Perez,” he said. “The investigation revealed Perez was being supplied by a largescale drug trafficking organization, with members operating in both Hampden County and in the Bronx, New York.”
The CINRET West team collaborated with Springfield Police, Homeland Security Investigations New York and the New York DEA division to arrest 30 people. The operation also seized 2,000 grams of suspected heroin/fentanyl, 3,000 grams of cocaine, and 29 firearms.
Lastly, police say an apparent cocaine distribution ring in Springfield was broken up on Thursday.
20 kilograms of suspected cocaine was seized during a Gilbert Avenue search, Gulluni announced. Warrants were also executed on Banbury Street and Wilmington Avenue, yielding a total of 1,000 grams of cocaine and 78 grams of suspected heroin. Three arrests were made as a result.
The DA added that drug-testing equipment recently provided by the Massachusetts National Guard was used during the investigations.
Springfield Police Superintendent Larry Akers says the public’s help is just as key as the inter-agency cooperation.
“We cannot do our jobs without the help of the public, and we also need each other's help to make things like this happen,” Akers remarked. “So, once again, thank you - we are still in the fight. We are going to be out there. We're looking for a hot summer and we're going to be out there on the front lines, doing what we can do to keep our residents safe and clear of any harm that these drugs or weapons can bring.”
