Major Western Mass Heroin Ring Busted
Mass State Police, Homeland Security, and a host of local Mass police departments took down a major drug ring in western Mass on Monday. Search warrants were executed at six different locations in Springfield and Holyoke and lead to 5 arrests and the confiscation of 94,274 bags of heroin, $120,000 in cash and three firearms.
As you can see from the photo originally posted on the Massachusetts State Police Facebook page, the amount of heroin seized could have done some real damage to lives and families of residents throughout the region.
The Massachusetts State Police, federal Homeland Security Investigations, Springfield, Holyoke, and Westfield Police Departments and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department police, were all involved in the investigation that has been ongoing for months.
Below is the full release posted on the Mass State Police Facebook page…
MSP CINRET Unit and Partner Agencies Seize 94,000 Bags of Heroin, Make Five Arrests, in Trafficking Investigation
On Monday, September 28, 2020, after a months-long investigation that involved Massachusetts State Police, federal Homeland Security Investigations, Springfield, Holyoke, and Westfield Police Departments and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department police, along with the Hampden District Attorney's Office, smashed a large-scale heroin trafficking organization.
Troopers with the Massachusetts State Police’s Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI-Springfield), detectives from the Springfield, Holyoke, and Westfield Police Departments, and Hampden County Sheriff’s Department officers, were granted warrants resulting in several arrests and the seizure of some 94,000 bags of heroin totaling nearly two kilograms.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated, “Despite challenging circumstances, we continue to focus our resources on the most harmful offenders in order to keep drugs off our communities' streets. I thank all the investigators involved in this investigation, including those from my office. This is a very significant heroin seizure and dismantling this trafficking organization is a positive development for public safety in the greater Springfield area. My office will now focus on a swift and effective prosecution of these offenders who sought to profit from the pain and devastation of addiction.”
Arrested late Monday night in connection with this investigation were: Miguel Martinez Pinto, 40, of Springfield, charged with Trafficking in Heroin , David Vazquez-Roman, 34, of Springfield, charged with Trafficking in Heroin Natividad Pagan, 58, of Chicopee, charged with Trafficking in Heroin, Carlos Leon, 52, of Springfield charged with Trafficking in Heroin , and Santiago Ruiz, 41, of Springfield, charged with Possession of Heroin.
The arrests were a culmination of a significant and lengthy investigation into heroin trafficking in and around Springfield. Intelligence was developed by CINRET West Unit Troopers and partner agencies, establishing cause for search warrants for several locations in Springfield and Holyoke. Locations included in the search warrants were: 1978 Page Boulevard, 140 Michon Street, 61 Acushnet Avenue, 23 Ashley Street, 79 Central Street, all in Springfield, 249 Oak Street in Holyoke and a 2000 Ford Ranger.
Seized during the execution of these warrants at various addresses was: 94,274 bags of heroin, $120,000 of US currency, and three firearms. The estimated amount of heroin in the seized bags of heroin is 1.885 kilograms of heroin.
All defendants were expected to be arraigned today in Springfield and Holyoke District Court.
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