State Police make major drug busts

State Police announced arrests and major hauls in two separate operations, with a Revere man under arrest for a suspected drug trafficking operation netting more than $190,000 and an alleged ring in Hampden County netting more than $100,000.

State and local police on Monday searched the Revere home of Humberto “Pancho” Mesa-Gomez, 52, where police say they found about 16 kilograms of cocaine — which is roughly 35 pounds — and $190,750 in cash making up suspected proceeds of a Greater Boston trafficking operation.

Mesa-Gomez was arraigned Tuesday in Chelsea District Court on a charge of trafficking a Class B narcotic, over 200 grams.

In Western Massachusetts, eight men who made up a suspected drug trafficking organization supplying the wider Springfield area with heroin and fentanyl were arrested between Jan. 27 and Feb. 17. The investigation began in 2022 under the direction of the West Unit of the State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, or CINRET-West.

“The CINRET-West Unit has a track record of removing significant amounts of narcotics from our city streets, arresting notable players involved in the drug trade and ultimately saving lives, said Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood in a provided statement.

According to the State Police, police over the course of the investigation seized 9.5 kilograms — roughly 21 pounds — of suspected cocaine; more than 111,000 baggies packed with roughly 2.3 kilograms (about 5 pounds) of what was sold as heroin but was determined in the field to actually be fentanyl; 28 grams (about an ounce) of suspected fentanyl pills; and 18 pounds of marijuana.

In addition to the drugs, police say they seized items related to the organization: three cars, about $104,000 in cash, and three loaded handguns: a Browning 1911 .380 caliber, a SCCY CPX-2 and a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum.

Arrested and charged with various drug trafficking or possession counts were Josue Figueroa, 29, of Springfield; Robert Bigio Sr., 60, of Springfield; Robert Bigio Jr., 34, of Springfield; Alexander Rodriguez, 33, of Holyoke; Emmanuel Montano, 28, of Springfield; Heriberto Escalera, 34, of Springfield; Christopher Bermudez, 29, of Holyoke; and Aneudy LopezSantos, 40, of Holyoke.

While all of those listed face drug charges, Escalera also has numerous firearms-related charges listed: two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and two counts of possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for a crime involving violence or drugs.