Two Springfield men are behind bars, snagged by police in a felony car stop that unearthed a trove of drugs. Jamie Rodriguez-Lopez was caught red-handed with the keys of a stolen vehicle, and Jorge Gomez-Rodriguez had a stuffed shoulder bag full of narcotics and cash, according to the West Springfield Police Department.
It all went down on May 2nd, when cops, alerted to a stolen motor vehicle, caught up with the suspects in a Price Rite parking lot. Police say, Rodriguez-Lopez had the audacity to try and slip into the driver’s seat of the stolen ride before officers swooped in for the bust. The West Springfield Police Department detailed the arrest on their Facebook page, noting that a brief struggle preceded Gomez-Rodriguez handing over the incriminating bag.
The haul was notable: within Gomez-Rodriguez's shoulder bag they found a knife, 6 grams of cocaine, oxycodone, and Percocet alongside an impressive stash of heroin. The blue-stamped "HBO" and "HEATS" bags of smack alone are a street pharmacist's dream - but a definite nightmare for Rodriguez-Lopez and Gomez-Rodriguez. In Rodriguez-Lopez’s wallet was even more of the deadly "HEATS" heroin, clinching his trip to the slammer. The pair now face a litany of drug charges between them.
Rodriguez-Lopez, 28, is charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and possession of a Class A drug, heroin. His accomplice, 34-year-old Gomez-Rodriguez, is up against the wall with the possibility of distribution, due to his heavy haul that included multiple Class A and B drugs. The find included four packs— a total of 400 bags— and four half-packs— 200 bags— of heroin, along with $870 cash that was probably not earned on the up-and-up. All this, police shared, without either suspect causing further commotion during their arrest.
As the streets of Springfield bristle with the rustle of blue-collar life, heroin's blue stamp — ironically a branding of entertainment and heat — belies the cold reality of addiction's stranglehold. These drugs, their carriers, and the system that ensnares both, are the threads in the fabric of a society wrestling with itself in the mirror of justice.
