BETHEL, Vt. (WCAX) – A chilling cache of narcotics, ghost guns and even a grenade launcher were seized during a drug bust in Bethel on Thursday. Nine people were arrested there on a host of charges.
Neighbors say the bust was a long time coming. The bust yielded more than a kilo of cocaine and fentanyl. However, multiple guns collected during the raid have community members equally concerned.
From the outside, it’s a fairly unassuming home. But to neighbors, what transpired inside on a daily basis was no mystery.
“Very concerned,” said Dennis Davis, who lives next door. “But I think that goes hand in hand– the drugs and firearms.”
Those firearms found inside the house included a “ghost gun,” two sawed-off shotguns, multiple rifles, a grenade launcher and three pistols with extended magazines.
Davis commended law enforcement for raiding the home.
“I am very grateful,” Davis said. “My neighbor made a comment to me this morning that it was the most peaceful night she had had in several years.
A total of nine people were arrested in the raid, five from Vermont and four from Connecticut. They face a slew of charges including drug trafficking and gun-related offenses.
“Arsenals and out-of-state traffickers is nothing new to us and I think we are seeing that becoming more and more of an issue,” Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer said.
The Windsor County Sheriff’s Department took part in the raid which was carried out by Vermont’s Drug Taskforce. Sheriff Palmer said the home had been on their radar for quite some time and the successful bust is the product of multiple agencies working in partnership. Though, he said Vermont’s criminal justice system is far from perfect.
“I think there needs to be a much stronger emphasis on accountability in Vermont,” Palmer said. “There is always the balance between someone’s constitutional rights and accountability.”
That’s something Davis, who was born and raised in Vermont, agreed with.
“The revolving door that we got here in the state of Vermont with the judicial system needs to stop,” he said.
All of the suspects are currently being lodged at Southern State Correctional Facility for lack of various bail amounts. The highest being for Connecticut’s Anthony Gunn which was set at $100,000.
Richard Boles and India Tweedie also face cruelty to animal charges.
Police said along with selling drugs, the house also operated as a puppy factory where numerous dogs were living in poor conditions.
The sheriff said seven puppies from two different litters and an equal number of adult dogs were seized. He said they are now safe at a local animal hospital.
Police identified the suspects as:
Richard Boles, 56, of Bethel. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, animal cruelty
India Tweedie, 34, of Bethel. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, animal cruelty
Andrea Veroneau, 36, of Bethel. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, violation of conditions of release
Moses Gardner, 55, of Tunbridge. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking
Tyler Taitague, 32, of Bethel. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy
Matthew Gilbert, 33, of Hartford, Connecticut. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, fugitive from justice
Anthony Gunn, 31, of Hartford, Connecticut. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, fugitive from justice
LaQuonne Thames Jr., 18, of Manchester, Connecticut. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, violation of conditions of release
LaQuonne Thames Sr., 36, of Manchester, Connecticut. Charges: Cocaine trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, conspiracy, possession of a firearm while committing a felony