Two homeless men arrested in Massachusetts after police seized approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine

Officers in Massachusetts seized approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine and arrested two homeless men as a result of a routine traffic stop on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Chief Matthew Pinard, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Littleton Police Patrolman Jared Richard was patrolling on Great Road in the area of Beaverbrook Bridge when he noticed a vehicle in front of him swerve several times across the double yellow line.

Patrolman Richard initiated a motor vehicle stop, and learned that the driver, later identified as 38-year-old Erasmo Lira-Mendez, was not licensed to operate a motor vehicle. Patrolman Richard also learned that a passenger in the vehicle, identified as 51-year-old Cornelio-Rene Hernandez, was wanted on an arrest warrant from Texas. Both men were subsequently taken into custody at the scene.

While conducting an inventory search of the vehicle, Littleton Police discovered 20 large bags containing approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine each. Police also located $1,143 on Lira-Mendez.

Lira-Mendez was arrested and charged with Trafficking Cocaine (Over 200 Grams), Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and Marked Lanes Violation.

Hernandez was arrested and charged with Trafficking Cocaine (Over 200 Grams) and the Texas Warrant.

Both men were held without bail overnight and arraigned Thursday in Ayer District Court.

“The attention to detail and dedication to duty that was shown by Patrolman Richard led to the largest drug seizure in the history of the Littleton Police Department, and I commend Patrolman Richard and all of the other officers who assisted on a job well done,” said Chief Pinard. “The seizure of such a large amount of drugs shows the scale of the drug trade and just how much we’re up against as we work to save people’s lives from the scourge of drug abuse.”