Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni addresses the media at a May 27 press conference in his office, sharing details of three major operations that disrupted dangerous supply lines of drugs in our region. He was joined by representatives from the Springfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County District Attorney’s office recently announced that three major drug trafficking investigations in Western Massachusetts yielded 52 arrests, 45 firearms and over 37 kilograms of drugs.
At a press conference on May 27, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said the operations, all conducted at some point between 2022-2025, were completed in partnership with local, state and federal agencies.
“The concerted effort and collective action of many of the members of law enforcement from local, state and federal agencies, all working together, we know will have a measurable impact on public safety in not only Springfield, but in Hampden County and beyond,” Gulluni said. “The sheer volume of these seizures is significant, not only in its size, but also in its timing.”
The first operation, conducted between October 2022 and October 2024, was the culmination of a wire investigation spearheaded by the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force and Strategic Action and Focused Enforcement Task Force outside of the Garcia Market at 344 Orange St. and the adjacent store, Angel’s Used Appliances.
Gulluni’s office said the operation concluded in May and included the arrest of 19 individuals, as well as the seizure of over 12,000 grams of cocaine and 530 grams of fentanyl.
The defendants arrested face a range of charges including drug trafficking, firearm possession, child endangerment and stolen property offenses.
In a statement, Mayor Domenic Sarno commended Gulluni and Springfield Police Superintendent Larry Akers for their “brave and dedicated” efforts to shut down the operation. and said that Garcia’ Market now needs to close.
“I have no patience nor tolerance with these poison dealing, gun-toting violent offenders and their business fronts are not welcomed here in Springfield,” Sarno said. “In turn, I have requested City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti and Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris to pursue a seize and desist order to move to shut down this ‘den of iniquity’ in the name of public health and safety for the good of our neighborhood residents and businesses of the area and beyond.” A second operation conducted throughout 2024 by the state police’s Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, Western Region (CINRET West), led to 30 arrests, the seizure of 29 firearms, as well as the confiscation of over 3,000 grams of cocaine and over 2,000 grams of heroin/fentanyl.
According to the DA’s office, the investigation revealed that Springfield resident Anthony Perez was being supplied by a large-scale drug trafficking organization operating in Hampden County and Bronx, New York.
The defendants arrested in this case face trafficking, firearm and conspiracy charges, according to Gulluni.
Meanwhile, a more recent investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit and Springfield Police Department uncovered a cocaine trafficking network run by Ruben Luna and associates at 208 Gilbert Ave., 4 Banbury St. and 7 Wilmington Ave. in Springfield.
Gulluni said that search warrants executed on May 22 found approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine, 437 grams of cocaine, 570 grams of cocaine, 78 grams of heroin and additional narcotics and pills.
According to the DA’s report, three individuals were arrested, including Luna, and the defendants are facing trafficking and conspiracy offenses.
In remarks to the media about these three operations, Akers said the collaboration with state and federal agencies has been “second to none.”
Additionally, he and Gulluni emphasized the importance of making these busts just as the summer season kicks off.
“We’re here fighting for the residents of Hampden County, Springfield and the state of Massachusetts,” Akers said. “And we’ll continue to be here fighting for the residents to try to remove [guns and drugs] from our streets, to make our streets safer.”
Gulluni shared that the agencies utilized new technology secured through a $200,000 donation from the Massachusetts National Guard to assist them in their operations. Among the equipment used was an MX908 Drug Analyzer to detect “trace amounts of dangerous substances with high sensitivity” and the TruNarc analyzer to make rapid drug identification.
In closing statements about the three operations, Gulluni said no one should have to hear gun shots or run into drug dealers on the sidewalks.
“To take these guns and these drugs off the streets in that little neighborhood is going to make a great impact for folks, especially as we lead into the summer,” Gulluni said. “So, if a kid wants to go and play in a sprinkler or go out and play catch in the street, this stuff isn’t out there around them.”
