Bennington, Vermont police (above) say Springfield, MA drug gangs are bringing violence to southern Vermont.
By Guy Page
Springfield, Massachusetts gangs are bringing violent crime and drug dealing to southern Vermont, Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette said recently.
Springfield is a conduit for illegal drugs, including heroin and fentanyl, smuggled across the U.S. southern border, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
According to media reports by NECN and the Bennington Banner, Bennington police are working with Massachusetts and federal Homeland Security and U.S. Attorney officials to cope with the crime outbreak. Recent examples include:
- A raid on a Bennington home last month uncovering suspects with ties to Springfield, MA drug dealing organizations, along with a stash of guns and “extended magazines,” cash, and illegal drugs.
The home was located just steps away from an elementary school, Doucette reportedly said.
- A November breaking-and-entering in which someone claiming to be a gang member pistol-whipped the home’s occupant.
Gang violence is not new, but it has increased across the southern Vermont region, and in the amount and severity of the crime, Bennington officials said.