Man With Third Eye Didn't See Western Mass Police Raid Coming; 3 Busted Following Tips: Cops

Holyoke residents fed up with a suspected open-air drug market alerted police to the operation, which launched a monthslong sting in Hampden County between police and the FBI, authorities said.

Emilio Rivera (left), Jose Rivera (top right), and Brandy Bellemore
Photo Credit: *Holyoke Police Department*

Josh Lanier

09/06/2023 6:40 p.m.

Police arrested three people at an apartment at 365 Appleton Street on Wednesday, Sept.6, and seized "significant quantities" of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, Holyoke police announced. They also found ammunition inside the home.

Jose Rivera, 39, Emilio Rivera, 36, and Brandy Bellemore, 30, were arrested in the sting that involved FBI agents in Western Massachusetts, police said. They are charged with violation of the Controlled Substance Act.

The investigation began after residents in the Elm and Appleton Streets area complained of the impact the drug operation was having on the community and wanted police to put a stop to it.

The Hampden Sherriff's Department and Chicopee Police Department assisted in the investigation.

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