Days earlier agents had arrested Darrick Holmes, owner of Almighty Peaks Painting, whom the DEA described as a midlevel drug distributor. That investigation led to the arrest of Holmes’ alleged suppliers, according to DEA special agent Brian Villella.
Agents arrested Shawn Alonso and Tamara Moody outside Almighty Peaks Painting on Saturday, according to Villella. Both New York City residents are charged with heroin possession with intent to distribute.
The West Shore Drive property is owned by Sen. Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle District. Mazza said Tuesday that he had heard rumors of criminal activity over the years but never witnessed any wrongdoing. He said Holmes had been his tenant for about seven years.
Villella said agents seized just over a kilogram of heroin when they arrested Alonso and Moody. He estimated the street value of the drugs at $375,000 to $500,000, representing a potential 37,500 individual doses. It’s one of the largest drug busts in his two years leading the Burlington DEA field office.
Another package weighing 170 grams was not field tested, and officials have not said what it contained.
The seizure is dwarfed by the 40 kilos of heroin agents recovered in Manchester in 2015, but Villella said this weekend’s bust is only the third case during his tenure in Vermont involving more than a kilo of heroin.
“The 40 kilos in Manchester, I don’t believe any of that was destined for the Vermont market, whereas all of this was,” Villella said.
Federal court records show Holmes was under investigation for months, and agents reported conducting several controlled heroin purchases from him using informants. Holmes has two drug-related convictions in federal court, according to filings from the U.S. attorney’s office.
Holmes is represented by attorney Mark Kaplan, who was also his lawyer in the two previous federal cases. Kaplan did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.
One informant told agents that Holmes used to deal exclusively in cocaine but started selling heroin because so many of his employees used the drug “it was an easy way to pay them,” according to an affidavit written by DEA agent Brandon Hope.
Holmes is charged with two federal counts of distributing heroin. He’s being held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. He is scheduled for a detention hearing Thursday.
A Monday news release from the U.S. attorney’s office announcing Alonso and Moody’s arrest makes no mention of Holmes or the charges he faces.
Court documents say only that a “cooperating defendant” arrested this month on suspicion of heroin distribution had provided information and made monitored calls to Alonso and Moody in the leadup to their arrest.
The cooperating defendant told investigators that Alonso and Moody would supply him with kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine several times a month. Alonso would typically travel to Vermont with Moody in rented vehicles.
With the defendant’s help, investigators monitored calls and texts as Alonso and Moody allegedly set up a drug delivery. Saturday morning federal agents and local police followed a white SUV with New York plates to Almighty Peaks Painting, records show.
Investigators blocked the SUV in and arrested Alonso and Moody. As police helped Alonso — who uses a wheelchair — out of the vehicle, his pants fell down and they discovered a large wrapped package. After searching his pants, they discovered a second smaller wrapped package, according to an affidavit.
The larger package field tested positive for heroin, the affidavit says. The smaller package was wrapped too tightly to be easily field tested.
Alonso is being held at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield and Moody at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington. Both are scheduled for a detention hearing Friday.
Holmes was the only tenant of eight or nine who Mazza said he accepted cash from. The arrangement, he said, made him uncomfortable, but he was told “that’s the way he likes to do business.” Frequently, Holmes was several months behind on the rent, Mazza said.
The longtime state senator said Tuesday he was “devastated” by the news and the implications that he should have known more, particularly given that his personal home and grocery store business are close to the shopping center on West Lakeshore Drive in Malletts Bay.
“There were suspicions, but no arrests were ever made, so what am I supposed to do?” Mazza said. “I was uncomfortable at times when I heard the rumors, but what was I supposed to do? I can’t evict the guy because what do you evict him on?”
He added, rubbing his forehead: “Until somebody can prove something, then you can do something. That’s what I’m so puzzled about. I don’t like the idea of it happening in my place. He paid his rent. What am I supposed to do?” Mazza said he told the Colchester police chief a year ago he was taking cash in case the suspicions were true.
Mazza said there was no nighttime activity or unusual activity during the day.
“I don’t even know this product. I don’t even know what the hell they’re talking about,” he said. “I’m not trying to get out of anything because I don’t even know.”
Mazza admitted his suspicions were again raised last week when police showed up at the shopping center. Mazza said Holmes reported someone had cut a hole in the wall of an adjoining empty store and stolen $135,000 in cash from his safe.
“Now you look back and say why didn’t you do this or do that,” Mazza said. But he said he had no basis other than rumors to evict Holmes, adding that the tenant took good care of the property and never fell so far behind in his rent that Mazza could have taken legal action to evict him.
On his Senate financial disclosure form filed in January, Mazza listed “self-employed grocer” as the only source of income of $10,000 or more. On Tuesday, Mazza said he didn’t think he had to report his rental income separately. He amended the financial report immediately thereafter.
