‘This was a pretty serious operation’: Massachusetts, Connecticut law enforcement team up to take down Spring - MassLive.com

SPRINGFIELD — A joint investigation by Massachusetts and Connecticut law enforcement led to the arrest of three Springfield men and the seizure of more than 15,000 packets of heroin, nearly 900 grams of fentanyl, and an arsenal of semi- and fully automatic weapons, according to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

In a press briefing Friday morning at his offices in Tower Square, Gulluni said the six-week investigation involved multiple state and local law enforcement officers cooperating across jurisdictions to take potentially violent drug dealers off the streets.

“This is really a coming together of an impressive force to the benefit and the betterment of public safety and the safety of folks on our streets across Western Massachusetts and in Connecticut,” Gulluni said. “This is the conclusion of a lengthy and complicated investigation into the distribution of both drugs and guns, throughout this region stretching down to the state of Connecticut.”

Present at the briefing were officials with the Connecticut and Massachusetts state police, the FBI, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, and the Westfield, West Springfield, Holyoke and Easthampton police departments.

Maj. Patrick Torneo of the Connecticut State Police said the investigation displayed “incredible and excellent collaboration” across state lines.

“As we know, drug trafficking organizations know no boundaries. They try to exploit us in that regard,” he said.

The development of trust and collaboration between Connecticut and Massachusetts law enforcement, he said, “allows us to investigate these drug trafficking organized organizations across bounds and take them into custody.”

Col. Scott Warmington, deputy superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said, “The collaboration and the partnerships, which resulted in ... this seizure here with these firearms not only make Hampden County safer, it also makes the commonwealth of Massachusetts, the state of Connecticut and Rhode Island probably much safer today too.”

Gulluni said that in addition to moving heroin and fentanyl, the suspects were involved in illegally selling weapons, many of which were made with untraceable components and had been illegally converted into automatic weapons.

On the table in front of Gulluni during the briefing were several handguns and military-style rifles. Some of the guns were fitted with silencers and had magazines capable of holding 50 or 100 rounds of ammunition. Massachusetts law limits magazines to 10 rounds.

“It is our belief that these guns were being sold and were through this small organization of individuals being distributed to other people who were in many cases using them for criminal activity,” Gullini said.

Arrested were Springfield residents Geovanni Saldana, 28, Jose Rios, 34, and Alexander Rivera, 31.

Saldana is charged with trafficking heroin and fentanyl. He denied the charge at his arraignment and is being held on $250,000 bail. He is due back in court Nov. 1.

Rios is charged with seven counts of possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, multiple counts of possession of a high-capacity weapon, and improper storage of a firearm. He denied the charges at his arraignment and is being held without the right to bail. He is due back in court Nov. 9.

Rivera is charged with trafficking at least 18 grams of cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession and improper storage of a firearm. He denied the charges at his arraignment and was released after posting $50,000 cash bail. He is due in court Nov. 4.

According to Gulluni, Saldana was identified as a suspect in the six-week investigation, and on Sept. 30 detectives learned he would be traveling to Hartford to pick up some drugs.

Detectives tailed him to Hartford, and then stopped him on Interstate 91 just across the Massachusetts line in Longmeadow. He had 95 grams of fentanyl in his possession.

At the same time, Connecticut State Police narcotics detectives moved in on the Hartford location, arresting one man and seizing 15,000 packets of heroin, 800 grams of fentanyl, and a 9-mm handgun.

The next day, police obtained search warrants for properties at Kazbeck Street in Indian Orchard and an address in West Springfield, where they found 14 guns, some narcotics and $10,000 in cash.

“This was a pretty serious operation,” Gulluni said. “It’s clear that this small group of individuals, and probably associates around them, were distributing drugs, and more likely than not, firearms in the region.”

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source: https://www.masslive.com/police-fire/2021/10/this-was-a-pretty-serious-operation-massachusetts-connecticut-law-enforcement-team-up-to-take-down-springfield-to-hartford-drug-and-weapons-ring.html

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