Vazauez, Irizarry pinched on Cross Street

By Shaun Moriarty
Citizen Chronicle Writer

SOUTHBRIDGE— A pair of Cross Street residents were arrested and later arraigned in court after authorities executed search warrants around dawn this morning.


Yomayra Vazquez, 26, and Eliud Irizarry, 36, both of 99 Cross Street, were taken into custody as local and regional law enforcement agencies descended on the three-story apartment building to execute two search warrants for narcotics. Vazquez resides on the third floor while Irizarry resides on the first floor.

According to the Southbridge Police Department, local detectives were joined by members of the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (CEMLEC) SWAT team and task force officers from the South Worcester County Counter-Crime and Drug Task Force in the raid, shortly after 6:00 a.m. on Friday. The search warrants came as the result of what a Southbridge Police Department press release referred to as “a lengthy ongoing investigation into drug trafficking in Southbridge.”

Authorities entered the third floor rear apartment, locating Vazquez and three small children, aged 6, 10, and 10. Vazquez was taken into custody without incident and the children were released to a family member not involved in the investigation. In the first floor rear apartment, Irizarry was also taken into custody without incident.

The search warrants resulted in multiple weapons and drugs being taken into custody. In the third floor apartment, police recovered a 9mm large capacity firearm, a .22 caliber revolver, ammunition, a bulletproof vest, approximately 17 grams of suspected cocaine packaged for distribution, approximately 15 grams of suspected heroin packaged for distribution, an amount of U.S. currency suspected to be drug proceeds, and numerous items commonly used in the packaging of narcotics for distribution, such as packaging material, glassine packets, rubber bands, boxes of sandwich bags, baking soda, and a sifter.

From Irizarry’s apartment, police said they recovered a Kel-Tec .380 caliber firearm, ammunition, approximately ten packets of suspected heroin batched for distribution, a digital scale, plastic baggie remains, a bottle containing numerous pills suspected to be Gabapentin, and an amount of U.S. currency suspected to be drug proceeds. Gabapentin is a prescription nerve pain medication and anticonvulsant commonly used to treat seizures or pain caused by shingles.

Irizarry was charged with possession of a firearm without a license to carry, unlawful possession of ammunition, improper storage of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute class A heroin, and possession with intent to distribute class E Gabapentin. Additionally, police said there was an active arrest warrant for Irizarry on a separate matter.

Police said an arrest warrant was also issued for a third subject involved in their investigation, but the unnamed subject was not present at the time of the search warrants being executed.

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