Police have arrested a fourth suspect in connection to the November raid in Springfield in which local, state and federal law enforcement descended on the town, drawing praise from the governor.
Michael Cotter, 32, was arrested last week in Charlestown, New Hampshire, according to an arrest warrant filed on behalf of the FBI. He was booked into Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans on Monday, where he’s currently being held.
In November, police arrested Jonathan “Jose” Castro, Anibal “Papi” Castro Sr. and Derek Arie, alleging they conspired to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl in Vermont between March and November.
At the time, two other names were redacted from court documents. Cotter’s name has since been unredacted, and he too faces charges of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl.
“Law enforcement was unable to locate Mr. Cotter when they executed search warrants in Springfield” in November, Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Vermont, told VTDigger on Tuesday, explaining Cotter’s delayed arrest.
A motion for Cotter’s detention indicates that last October, he was arrested by Massachusetts State Police after they found 1,000 bags of suspected fentanyl in his possession. Cotter later told law enforcement he intended to bring the drugs back to Springfield, which is right across the Connecticut River from Charlestown.
Less than two weeks before the raid, Cotter was allegedly caught selling fentanyl in Springfield, court documents suggested.
“Not six weeks after his arrest in Massachusetts, on November 17, 2022, the defendant sold controlled substances to a confidential informant (“CI”) who was working at the direction of law enforcement,” the detention motion said. “More specifically, in Springfield, Vermont, the defendant sold 750 bags of suspected fentanyl to the CI in a recorded transaction.”
Cotter has a previous drug trafficking conviction in New Hampshire, according to court documents. The other three suspects arrested on conspiracy charges also have previous drug-related convictions.
Back in November, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security raided houses at 70, 77 and 78 Valley St. in Springfield. The road, which connects to the heart of Springfield, has been the center of local crime in recent months. Shootings, drugs and the discovery of a pipe bomb have all resulted in arrests.
