MA Crews Find Heroin Stash after Fender Bender

Sept. 30, 2021

A man was charged after Greenfield firefighters found 1,500 packets of heroin stashed in the engine compartment of a car involved in a minor crash.

By Patrick Johnson

Source masslive.com

GREENFIELD, MA - A 32-year-old Springfield man was charged with trafficking heroin following a minor car crash Wednesday when firefighters checking out his engine compartment stumbled upon a safe containing over 1,500 packets of heroin, police said.

Alex Barnes is charged with trafficking heroin between 18 and 36 grams, and four counts of possession with intent to distribute for class A, B,C and D substances, police said. He was also charged with driving with a suspended license, attaching illegal plates, driving an unregistered, uninsured vehicle, and following too close to another vehicle.

Police were called to Deerfield and Meridian streets for a report of a minor accident. Barnes’s vehicle rear-ended another vehicle.

When Greenfield firefighters opened the hood to find the source of fluids leaking on the road, they found a small safe and alerted police. The vehicle and safe were impounded until Greenfield detective Justin Purinton obtained a search warrant.

When the safe was opened it contained 1,580 packets of heroin, 66 tablets of Gabaperntin, a by-prescription medication, some marijuana and a scale.