SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WCAX/WGGB/WSHM) – Homicide numbers in Vermont have risen in recent years to levels not seen since the late 1990s, and experts say much of the violence is fueled by a drugs-for-guns pipeline that leads to Massachusetts and other urban centers.
WCAX News uncovered a crime corridor between Vermont and Massachusetts in our special investigation.
As we investigate the connection, police in Springfield, Massachusetts, say they just made five arrests tied to the illegal flow of firearms between the two states.
Authorities there say they have been investigating the “the illegal flow of firearms from neighboring states into the city of Springfield to mitigate violent offenses on our city streets.” The investigation identified suspects who were allegedly trading drugs for guns and then bringing the guns from Vermont into Massachusetts.
Michael Haskins, 51, of Barre, Vermont, is among the five people arrested in Massachusetts. He faces a federal drug charge.
Joseph Llano, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, has been charged on a federal warrant out of Vermont with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Justin Llano, 24, of Springfield, Massachusetts, also faces a federal warrant out of Vermont, along with charges in Massachusetts.
Jose Cotto, 30, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on a federal warrant issued in Vermont.
Tanashe Edwards, 49, of Springfield, Massachusetts, has been charged on a federal warrant out of Vermont with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers said in a statement that the I-91 pipeline from Vermont to Springfield has been a “conduit for drug and gun trafficking.”
