A Walden, Vermont man who is a past resident of Springfield, Massachusetts told police the 5,500 bags of fentanyl in his car, which was stopped by police following a long car chase on I-91 Wednesday October 26, were for his “personal use.”
Antonio Vergara, 29, is being held by federal authorities on narcotics charges. According to an October 28 report in the Caledonian-Record, Vergara was trying to escape FBI agents in pursuit when his car ran over blow-out strips put on I-91 by Vermont State Police. The car stopped two miles later, and 5,500 bags of fentanyl were found in his car. Vergara reportedly waived his Miranda rights and told police the fentanyl was for his personal use. Another 4,500 bags were found along the interstate nearby.
Last week’s arrest wasn’t Vergara’s first I-91, Northeast-Kingdom-related drug bust. In July 2017, Brittany Patten, 22, from Hardwick, and Vergara, then of Springfield, Massachusetts, were stopped on I-91 in Northhamption, MA and placed under arrest for trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to violate the drug laws, Massachusetts State Police said.
I-91 is an oft-used corridor for fentanyl transported across the southern border then to northeastern hubs, including Springfield, MA, federal drug authorities say.