Springfield Search Warrant Leads To Bust For Drug Task Force
Once again, some multi-agency cooperation across several law enforcement groups lead to a fairly major drug bust in Springfield recently. That's according to the Massachusetts State Police(MSP).
According to WWLP/News 22 in Springfield, two people were arrested in Springfield on Monday after a multi-agency drug task force investigation into methamphetamine distribution in Massachusetts.
The MSP report that an investigation over the past several months targeted Ernest Fickling, 41, of Springfield and Northampton. After obtaining a search warrant for Fickling's second-floor apartment on State Street in Springfield, and also two of his vehicles, police set up surveillance outside his State Street apartment another location of Fickling's in Northampton.
After Fickling left the State Street residence, police officers detained him and executed the search warrant. Another occupant inside the apartment, Cassandra Wilder, 34, was detained.
During the search, police seized the following items:
- A Glock handgun with ammunition in the chamber and 19 rounds in an inserted magazine
- Two boxes of .40 caliber ammo
- Approximately 2,418 grams of suspected “crystal rock” methamphetamine
- Approximately 1,557 grams of suspected Ecstasy pills
- Approximately 196 grams of suspected cocaine
- Approximately 109 grams of suspected fentanyl pills
- Approximately 6 lbs. of suspected marijuana
- Approximately 48 ounces of liquid “bath salts"(Class C drug)
- Approximately 30 Oxycodone pills
- An unspecified amount of cash
Both Fickling and Wilder were arrested on numerous charges including both possession and trafficking of numerous illegal substances. And Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, via his Facebook page, had this to say:
Last year Fentanyl was present in 93% of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts; and most recently, as indicated by this seizure, there is a drastic increase of methamphetamine coming into this area. I would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police for their resources and expertise in combating this deadly combination.
For more on the story, visit WWLP's website here.