Crime & Safety
More Than 1,000 Pounds Of Pot, $688K Found In Busts: DOJ
Federal authorities executed several search warrants that turned up a half-ton of marijuana, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
EAST LONGMEADOW, MA — A man faces federal marijuana trafficking charges after authorities recovered more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and nearly $700,000 after arresting a man, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling's Office said.
John Americo Pereira, 33, of East Longmeadow, was arrested Friday and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was ordered held pending a detention hearing after a federal court hearing in Springfield Monday.
Authorities have been investigating Pereira and others since Jan. 2018 for distributing marijuana, according to court documents. They executed a search warrant Friday at his home, where they found about $688,000 in a safe and 260 pounds of marijuana, prosecutors said. Additional warrants executed in East Longmeadow, Springfield and Ellington, Conn., turned up more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana, according to prosecutors.
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