Man Arrested On Gun, Drug Charges: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man was arrested Thursday on gun and drug charges after a search warrant was executed on his home and vehicle, according to police.

Officials said Meriden police, in conjunction with the Springfield Massachusetts Police Department, developed information that 30-year-old Javier Nieves was in possession of illegal firearms.

Nieves was wanted on an arrest warrant out of Massachusetts on felony gun charges, according to police.

Meriden police obtained a search warrant for Nieves’ home in Meriden and his vehicle.

Prior to carrying out the search warrant, police said Nieves was detained away from his home while the search warrant for his car was carried out.

“Inside his vehicle was found a large quantity of narcotics,” police wrote in a news release. “At that time Nieves was taken into custody without incident. With the assistance of the Meriden Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), the search warrant of Nieves’ home was carried out without incident.

“Inside Nieves’ home was located two Handguns stolen out of the State of North Carolina, an unregistered AR style rifle, two high-capacity magazines, one thirty round magazine for one of the handguns and a 45-round magazine for the rifle.”

Police said the following items were seized from Nieves’ vehicle:

• 30.79 grams of suspected powder cocaine
• 10 blue pills suspected to be pressed fentanyl
• 128.5 grams of suspected marijuana
• Three scales, multiple used and new plastic bags used for packing illegal narcotics

Police said Nieves’ Connecticut pistol permit was revoked in connection with an incident in 2024.

Nieves was charged with two counts of theft of a firearm, illegal possession of an assault weapon, two counts of illegal possession of a large capacity magazine, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, two counts of possession of narcotics, and operating a drug factory.

He was held in lieu of a $750,000 bond.