Suspects arrested on drug trafficking charges following ICE HSI, state probe
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Two men were arraigned in Massachusetts state court Wednesday, following their arrest on charges of trafficking more than 200 grams of cocaine and conspiracy to violate state drug laws. The arrests come after a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Springfield and the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force.
Anibal Collazo, 24, of Springfield, Massachusetts and Berney Bermudez, 39, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, were arrested Tuesday after local authorities seized a kilo of cocaine with an approximate street-level value of $80,000 in their possession.
“These arrests show how effective, local, state, federal law enforcement partnerships like the one that HSI Springfield has as part of the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force can be in fighting the plague of illegal drugs,” said Michael Shea, acting special agent in charge for HSI Boston. “Through joint investigations like these, HSI literally helps save lives, and keep communities strong and safe from drug traffickers who are threatening the fabric of communities in our region.”
The Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, whose office is prosecuting the case, announced the two arrests Wednesday, which he cited as preventing the introduction of a significant amount of drugs into the community.
Hampden County Narcotics Task Force members served arrest warrants Tuesday, apprehending both suspects at a restaurant owned by one of them without incident. The arrests stopped the imminent distribution of several kilos of cocaine into the community. The suspects were arraigned Wednesday in Hampden County District Court.
The Hampden County Narcotics Task Force is comprised of representatives of HSI Springfield, the Massachusetts State Police, the Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke Police Departments, and the Hampden County Sheriff's Department.
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