NORTHAMPTON – An Easthampton man arrested for trafficking heroin and cocaine out of his home was indicted by a Hampshire Superior Court grand jury on Tuesday.
William Grajalez-Rios, 33, was indicted on charges of trafficking in heroin and cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card, improper storage of a firearm, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and three counts of reckless endangerment of a child.
Grajalez-Rios has not yet been arraigned on the charges in superior court. He pleaded not guilty to similar charges in Northampton District Court on March 7, a day after his arrest. At that time, he was released on $25,000 bail and was represented by attorney Lucy DeLaCour.
Easthampton police, members of the Northwestern District Anti-Crime Task Force and the Massachusetts State Police executed a search warrant on March 6 around 8:30 a.m. at Grajalez-Rios’ home at 24 Dartmouth St., according to court documents. Police began monitoring the home about two hours before they went in to make sure the four children who lived there were gone from the residence before officers entered.
While searching the home, police seized 225 packages containing a total of 11,500 clear, vacuum-sealed bags of heroin; one bag containing about 18 grams of crack cocaine; one bag containing about 21 grams of cocaine powder; a digital scale with white power; an unsecured and loaded Llama .380 caliber handgun; and two magazines with seven rounds of .380 caliber ammunition in each magazine, according to court documents.
The majority of the heroin was found in a partially covered wall on the third floor. The children would have had to walk past this area to reach their bedrooms, according to court documents. Additional heroin and cocaine were located in a drawer in a pantry, the documents state. Police located the gun unsecured under a mattress. It was determined to be stolen in Springfield, according to court documents.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.