On a Friday operation in Holyoke, a combined effort of law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of 12 individuals on various charges including drug trafficking and warrant arrests. The Holyoke Police Department shared in a social media post that the operation was a collaborative effort between Holyoke Police, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, and Massachusetts State Police VFAS.
According to the department's announcement, the sweep kicked off early in the morning with the pursuit of a juvenile suspect wanted on an active warrant related to a stolen Hyundai from Enfield, Connecticut. Running when they saw police, four Holyoke juveniles, all age 15, were taken into custody. Two of which were already wanted on arrest warrants. In compliance with privacy laws regarding minors, their names have not been disclosed.
Luis Carrion-Santiago, 26, was arrested around 10:15 a.m., found in a vehicle near 137 North East Street. Charged with an arrest warrant, Carrion-Santiago was just one of the operation's apprehensions. Later, at 11:10 a.m., officers located Alexander Santos Jr. at an apartment on Main Street, nabbing him on a Default Warrant for Assault & Battery on a Police Officer, and then stumbling upon Carlos Cordova Jr., who was also arrested. A search yielding significant amounts of heroin/fentanyl and cocaine followed after securing a warrant, leading to trafficking charges for both Santos Jr. and Cordova Jr.
As the afternoon unfolded, detectives caught up with Patrick Gamache, sitting with open doors of a parked car on Laurel Street, under the weight of five outstanding arrest warrants. Along with him was Hannah Simons, who herself had an outstanding warrant and was found in possession of crack-cocaine. Their presence at a known troubled spot was not the only issue as they both were caught holding illicit substances. Simultaneously, Steven Montanez faced trespassing and drug possession charges after being discovered on Essex Street.
Into the evening, the operation persisted, with Jose Robles-Ortiz being taken into custody after trying to discard heroin/fentanyl as he was approached by officers. Alongside various charges including withholding evidence, Robles-Ortiz held an outstanding warrant from Holyoke District Court. Another suspect with a warrant, Christopher Newsome, was arrested, linking back to a Chicopee District Court case for possession of a Class B Drug.
