Latest news with #AnthonyGulluni
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Three WMass drug investigations net 45 guns, 52 arrests, heroin, fentanyl
SPRINGFIELD — Speaking before a table laiden with guns and bags of drugs, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced the result of three drug trafficking investigations Tuesday. The haul from several search warrants included thousands of grams of cocaine, fentanyl and heroin. The investigations netted 52 arrests. In comments, Gulluni said the law enforcement actions that included contributions from New York police, Springfield Police, Massachusetts State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration, would help the city be safer as it heads into the summer. Gulluni also said a task force had a 'highly successful' investigation into drug trafficking between here and New York City. He also said an investigation looked at two local businesses that he characterized as drug trafficking fronts. Those were Garcia Market at 344 Orange St. and Angel's Used Appliances at 167 White St. More details emerge from hazmat incident at Hayden Corp. on Monday morning Indian, Italian, Turkish? Dine Springfield Restaurant Week encourages you to try all 3, and more Crunch Fitness opens new location in East Longmeadow As years pile on, investors who bought into dream of the Scuderi engine get anxious Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hampden DA's court program marks 9th milestone with grads
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A special graduation was held on Thursday for two adults who have turned their lives around for the better. These two individuals graduated from the Hampden District Attorney's 'Emerging Adult Court of Hope' Program. One of the men participated remotely as he is now living in Florida. The program provides young adults aged 18-24 with an opportunity to break free from the cycles of adversity and incarceration. 22News spoke with one of the graduates about his takeaways from the program. 'Keeps you out of trouble, keeps you functional, you got the support there, the building, you got support of probationers, it's a really good program, it's a really good program if you want to change your life it's a really good program,' said Hendrick Allende of Springfield. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni told 22News, 'It's just a very proud moment to see these two young men grateful, positive and headed in a very good direction in their lives.' Their success marks another significant milestone for the program, which has now graduated nine participants since its inception five years ago. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Donation combats illicit narcotic trafficking
SPRINGFIELD — A decade-long effort to curb illicit drug trafficking in the region was recently buttressed by an investment in new equipment. Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced at a press conference on May 12 that his office and the State Police have received a $285,000 donation from the Massachusetts National Guard's counterdrug program to help combat transnational criminal organizations, violent gangs and other drug trafficking organizations in the area. Among the new equipment funded by the donation are a gray key — a tool for mobile devices that extracts critical information in narcotics investigations — and TruNarc, which is used for rapid analysis and identification of dangerous narcotics. It also funds a Cellebrite to help manage and organize data from mobile devices in narcotics investigations or prosecutions; as well as a handheld backscatter, which detects narcotics and other contraband through X-ray imagery in homes or vehicles. Additionally, the money finances an MX 908 drug analyzer for 'highly accurate' and 'more sensitive' analysis of dangerous drugs, even in trace amounts. In his remarks to the press, Gulluni said the new equipment will be accessible to his office's task forces, as well as local and state law enforcement. 'The danger of illicit narcotics to our communities has not abated,' Gulluni said. 'As drug dealers and traffickers adopt new methods and acquire new ways to infiltrate our communities, we must stay ahead of them and similarly continue to adapt and evolve our methods of investigation and interdiction.' Investment in new equipment comes at a time when the number of opioid-related fatal overdoses across the state has remained steady over the past several years. According to Gulluni, Massachusetts experienced between 2,100 to 2,300 opioid-related fatal overdoses over the last few years, and Hampden County specifically has seen an increase in recent years. In 2015, Gulluni's office signed a memorandum of understanding with the state's National Guard to tackle drug trafficking problems that are exacerbating the opioid crisis. The partnership was renewed in 2018. 'I have said many times, we have to aid and support those suffering from the disease of addiction, but we must also simultaneously deter and arrest those who profit from it,' Gulluni said. The National Guard's counterdrug program has helped law enforcement in each state combat illicit drug trafficking since its inception in 1989, according to Gary Keefe, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard. 'We in the guard, we look at these drugs now as weapons,' Keefe said. 'We're very proud to do what we can to continue to support the mission of getting rid of this and making sure that Hampden County and the neighborhoods in Hampden County are safer places for people to live and raise families.' Gulluni mentioned that the National Guard's global reach is 'a huge aspect of assistance' on his office's work in the realm of 'bigger narcotics investigations.' As part of the program, the guard has assigned specialized personnel to support both the Hampden DA's SAFE Narcotics Task Force and the State Police's Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, according to his office. 'Some of the analysis, linguistic services, etc., are things that locally or even at the state level we might not have access to,' Gulluni said. 'So, the federal government through the National Guard can provide that here at the very organic local level to assist us and collaborate to make sure that we're doing our best work.' Aside from Gulluni's partnership with the state police and National Guard, his office also works with the New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a regional organization that provides funding resources, facilitates and enhances coordination of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in designated areas. David Kelley, the deputy director of NEHIDTA, said the organization runs several projects to combat illicit drug trafficking, including its domestic highway enforcement program. 'The I-91 corridor that travels through this state and this county is patrolled by the Massachusetts State Police,' Kelley said. 'I will tell you that their efforts on [I-]91 to intercept and prevent drugs from entering these communities is nothing less than stellar, and I am very, very proud that we were able to play a role here today.' Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Wales man sentenced to prison for distributing fentanyl
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A Wales man was sentenced to prison last month for possessing multiple illicit controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced the conviction and sentencing of 37-year-old Christopher Anderson of Wales on Tuesday. This sentencing follows charges Anderson faced in 2022 in Monson. Chicopee man sentenced for deadly crash on Route 9 in Belchertown The charging documents stated that on November 9, 2022, a sergeant was monitoring traffic on Wilbraham Road in Monson at approximately 9:24 p.m. He saw a Chevy Impala speeding between 60 and 65 mph in a posted 40 mph zone, and activated his emergency lights and siren while entering traffic. The vehicle continued slowly but eventually stopped, and the sergeant witnessed movement between the two individuals in the vehicle. The driver, identified as Anderson, apologized for speeding and told the sergeant that the vehicle was registered to his mother. He said that he and his friend were traveling from the dispensary. The Hampden DA's Office said that Anderson showed the sergeant a kit commonly used to consume marijuana. The kit contained rolling papers and a scale with cocaine residue on it. Upon further investigation, the sergeant found that Anderson's license was suspended. Anderson was arrested for operating under suspension and exited the vehicle. The sergeant saw a billy club in the driver's door pocket and searched Anderson and the vehicle for weapons. In Anderson's pockets, officers found a second scale with white residue on it resembling cocaine, three full wax heroin bags, one open wax bag with a cut straw, a blue flip-phone, and $2,763 in cash. Officers searching the vehicle found multiple cut snorting straws with white residue, a small glass vial of cocaine, two pocket knives, a third digital scale, 258 bags of fentanyl, seven grams of crack cocaine, three grams of powdered cocaine, five oxycodone pills, and one diazepam pill. Anderson was charged with: Unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute (Class A, fentanyl) Unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute (Class A, heroin) Unlawful possession of a Class B controlled substance (oxycodone) Unlawful possession of a Class C controlled substance (diazepam) On April 11, 2025, Anderson was sentenced to three and a half to four years in state prison. He was also sentenced to one year of incarceration to run concurrently to his state prison sentence. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Hampden District Attorney's Office announces new technology to combat drug trafficking
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Hampden District Attorney's Office announced new tools and technology in connection with their National Guard partnership to combat drug trafficking in the region. In a news release sent to 22News from the Hampden District Attorney's Office, the announcement is regarding their partnership with the National Guard and the military's donation to help combat illicit narcotic trafficking by targeting Transnational Criminal Organizations and other Drug Trafficking Organizations and violent gangs. The announcement at Tower Square on Main Street in Springfield highlighted the collaboration of the District Attorney's Office with the Massachusetts National Guard, the New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NEHIDTA), and the Massachusetts State Police. Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni was be joined by Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard Major General Gary Keefe, New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Director Jay Fallon, and Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Colonel Geoffrey Noble. Those also who joined the news conference are the following: Massachusetts National Guard: COL Bryan Pillai, Counterdrug Program Coordinator CSM Peter Pouliot, Counterdrug Advisory Council, Senior Enlisted Advisor CSM Daniel Doherty, MA Counterdrug Program, Senior Enlisted Advisor NEHIDTA: Assistant Director Dave Kelly Massachusetts State Police: Lt Col Mark Cyr, Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Marc Lavoie, Commander, Division of Homeland Security Lt Col Daniel Tucker, Commander, Division of Investigative Services Lt Col Brendan Sugrue, Commander, Division of Field Services Hampden SPDU DLT Liam Jones A Chicopee man was charged last week with trafficking cocaine after a traffic stop revealed drugs hidden in different compartments throughout the vehicle. Last month, the Springfield Police Department made an arrest in connection with trafficking heroin on St. James Circle after thousands of bags were recovered. Two arrested, thousands of bags of heroin seized in Springfield The National Guard is a state-based military force and serves federal roles for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force when activated. The Massachusetts National Guard is led by Major General Gary Keefe, headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base. The Massachusetts National Guard Counterdrug Program provides multi-year support to the District Attorney's Drug Task Forces, Massachusetts State Police narcotics units, and NEHIDTA initiatives throughout the region. 22News is covering this story and will update as soon as additional information is released preceding the news conference. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
