Western Mass. Man Indicted For Selling Drugs In Vermont

The effort to beat back the tidal wave of drugs hitting the streets continues for our hard-working men and women in law enforcement. One of the latest incidents involves a Massachusetts man indicted for dealing drugs in our neighbor to the north.

According to the Holyoke Police Department in a post on social media, an 18-year-old from Holyoke, Massachusetts was indicted Tuesday on drug distribution charges in Burlington, Vermont.

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The Holyoke PD reports that 18-year-old John Pena Baez has been indicted for selling fentanyl and heroin in Bennington County, Vermont, charges to which Pena Baez has pled not guilty. A United States District Court Judge ordered Pena Baez to be detained until his trial, the date of which has not yet been set.

According to court records, police conducted controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl from Pena Baez on three separate occasions, once in February and twice in March of this year.

On the evening of April 6, police arrested Pena Baez. At the time of his arrest, Pena Baez was the front seat passenger in a vehicle. According to the Holyoke Police Department's post on Facebook:

He was in possession of about 20 grams of suspected crack cocaine and about $7,100. Also in the vehicle, a loaded handgun was found on the floor area of the front passenger seat where Pena Baez had been sitting.

The Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bennington, Vermont Police Department all joined forces to investigate the case.

If convicted, Pena Baez could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each offense. For more on the story, check out the Holyoke PD post on Facebook. Excellent work, officers!