Western Mass. Man Caught With 1,500 Bags Of Horse, Over $250K

A Western Massachusetts man was recently arrested after cops found he was in possession of over 1,500 bags of heroin and stacks of cash.

According to Springfield Police, a Holyoke man is under arrest following a major, multi-agency drug investigation where tons of both money and drugs were seized this past Wednesday.

According to Springfield Police spokesperson Ryan Walsh, Springfield Police in collaboration with Holyoke Police and Massachusetts State Police executed a search warrant around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday morning on a Hampden Street home in Holyoke.

More than 1500 bags of heroin, a loaded firearm, and cash were recovered during the search. An additional search warrant led to the discovery of a safety deposit box where an additional $257,000 in cash was seized.

Following the search, police promptly arrested the individual, 61-year-old Alvaro Flores of Holyoke. Flores was the target of the investigation and was arraigned in Holyoke District Court on January 26th. The recovered firearm was reported stolen out of Wilbraham.

Flores has been charged with:

• Heroin Trafficking 18-36 Grams
• Possession of a Firearm without a License
• Improper Storage of a Firearm
• Possession of Ammunition without an FID Card
• Receiving Stolen Property less than $1200

In a media statement, Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood had this to say:

I’d like to thank our partners, the Holyoke Police, the Massachusetts State Police and the CINRET Unit.  When I created our Firearms Investigation Unit I promised to keep our Detectives in these Task Forces to investigate the major players in the drug trade.  This is a perfect example of utilizing shared resources to cripple a drug operation that preys on the most vulnerable individuals in our communities and really hurt them financially with this quarter-million dollar seizure.

For more on the story, you can visit the official website of the Springfield Police Department here.