Firearm manufacturing operation in Springfield discovered during drug bust investigation

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Detectives seized machine guns, a ghost gun, trafficking weight of heroin/fentanyl and cocaine during an investigation on Willard Avenue in Springfield.

On Wednesday, Springfield detectives conducted surveillance in the area of the 0-100 block of Willard Avenue. They observed 30-year-old John-Paul Vargas of Springfield get into a car and drive to a parking lot on Boston Road for an alleged drug deal with a person later identified as 51-year-old Jason Redcloud .

As Vargas drove away, he made a stop at a gas station on Boston Road. Detectives arrested Vargas and crack cocaine, cocaine, and heroin were allegedly found in his car. Redcloud was stopped by detectives and arrested for allegedly having crack cocaine.

A search warrant was granted was conducted at around 3:30 p.m. at the home of Vargas on Willard Avenue. During the search, Vargas and 29-year-old Ruth Espinal of Springfield were detained. They were both ultimately arrested after officers seized four firearms, a 3D printer, and trafficking weight of heroin/fentanyl and cocaine for the following:

List of items seized during search inside Willard Avenue

• 995 bags of heroin weighing approximately 19.88 grams
• Approximately 77 Fentanyl pills weight 7.7 grams
• 3 bags of cocaine weighing approximately 53 grams
• 1 bag of crack-cocaine weighing approximately 40.7 grams
• A jar of mushrooms
• $1,192
• 3D printer allegedly used to make firearm parts, various firearm parts, three automatic conversion devices and various automatic parts that were incomplete
• Springfield Hellcat 9mm firearm
• Glock 19 9mm firearm with a sear selector that turns the gun into a machine gun
• 19 rounds of loose ammunition
• Glock 31 .357 Sig firearm
• 2 high-capacity firearm magazines that were capable of holding 31 rounds of ammunition
• Ghost Gun with a sear selector also making it capable of fully automatic fire

Charges for the three suspects arrested

John-Paul Vargas

Vargas had an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet at the time of his arrest. He was out on bail from a case in Hampden Superior Court charged with stalking, heroin trafficking, possession of a firearm silencer, two counts of possession of ammunition without an FID card, criminal harassment, three counts of annoying a person of the opposite sex and possession with the intent to distribute a Class B drug.

• Distribution of a Class B Drug (Two Counts)
• Cocaine Trafficking 36-100 Grams
• Heroin/Fentanyl Trafficking 18-36 Grams
• Possession of a Firearm without an FID Card (Two Counts)
• Possession of a Machine Gun (Two Counts)
• Possession of a Loaded Machine Gun
• Possession of Ammunition without an FID Card (Three Counts)
• Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (Nine Counts)
• Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (Three Counts)
• Improper Storage of a Large-Capacity Firearm near a Minor
• Improper Storage of a Firearm (Three Counts)
• Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine/Feeding Device (Two Counts)
• Conspiracy to Violate Drug Law
• Resisting Arrest
• Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Class C Drug

Ruth Espinal

• Cocaine Trafficking 36-100 Grams
• Heroin/Fentanyl Trafficking 18-36 Grams
• Possession of a Firearm without an FID Card (Two Counts)
• Possession of a Machine Gun (Two Counts)
• Possession of a Loaded Machine Gun
• Possession of Ammunition without an FID Card (Three Counts)
• Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (Nine Counts)
• Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (Three Counts)
• Improper Storage of a Large-Capacity Firearm near a Minor
• Improper Storage of a Firearm (Three Counts)
• Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine/Feeding Device (Two Counts)
• Conspiracy to Violate Drug Law
• Resisting Arrest
• Possession with the Intent to Distribute a Class C Drug

Jason Redcloud

• Possession of a Class B Drug

The investigation was conducted by members of the Springfield Police Firearms Investigation Unit (FIU) and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department.

MAP: Willard Ave in Springfield

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