Drugs, Welfare Cards: Western Mass Couple Busted After Traffic Stop Upends Conspiracy, Cops Say

A Springfield couple was caught with drugs, a gun, and a stockpile of EBT and welfare assistance cards earlier this week after a routine traffic stop, authorities said.

Mark Centeno, left, and Astrid Reyes
Photo Credit: *Springfield Police Department*

Josh Lanier

02/16/2023 3:48 p.m.

Mark Centeno, age 33, and Astrid Reyes, 29, face a litany of charges following the Valentine's Day arrest, the Springfield police said.

An officer spotted Centeno and Reyes in a parking lot along State Street just before 5 p.m. Their car was missing its inspection sticker, which sparked the stop.

Officers found 900 Oxycodone pills, 39 grams of cocaine, and marijuana in the car, Springfield police said. Centeno had a loaded gun stuck in his waistband.

Police also found 29 Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistant and EBT cards issued to different people bundled with a rubber band, authorities said. The debit cards are given to needy families to help with food and housing assistance. Each card had a PIN and its balance written on the back, police said.

Authorities charged Centeno with

Carrying a loaded firearm without a license
Carrying a gun without a license
Obtaining a credit card of another with the intent to defraud (28 Counts)
Commission of a felony while armed (2 Counts)
Conspiracy
Trafficking a Class B drug (Cocaine)
Possession with the intent to distribute a Class B drug (Oxycodone)
Possession with the intent to distribute a Class B drug (Marijuana)
Operating a motor vehicle with an expired inspection sticker

Reyes is charged with:

Trafficking a Class B drug (Cocaine)
Possession with the intent to distribute a Class B drug (Oxycodone)
Possession with the intent to distribute a Class B drug (Marijuana)
Conspiracy
Obtaining a credit card of another with the intent to defraud (28 Counts)

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