NORTH ADAMS — A city man is being held without bail after police allegedly found him in possession of illegal firearms and 600 bags of heroin.
Matthew Rodriguez, 23, was arrested by the Berkshire County Drug Task Force, which had been investigating him for drug and firearms possession based on information from confidential informants.
Shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, police confronted Rodriguez with a search warrant in front of the Walnut Street residence he was believed to be living in, according to the police report filed in Northern Berkshire District Court by North Adams police Officer Joshua Zustra.
In searching Rodriguez, who was in his car in front of the house, police first found a starter pistol in his front pocket, which he confirmed shoots only blanks. But the officer then found a .380 caliber handgun containing six rounds of ammunition tucked into Rodriguez's waistband.
Police then found 600 bags of heroin, estimated to have a street value of $4,263 to $6,090, and $2,948 in cash inside a backpack on the ground next to a sedan parked in the front yard of the house.
That same backpack also allegedly contained a .357-caliber, six-shot revolver holding five rounds of ammunition, and a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun containing 14 rounds. Police found 59 rounds of additional ammunition elsewhere inside the backpack.
The task force believes that Rodriguez owned some of the firearms purely to sell them, but the report also noted that he was carrying one of the guns, loaded, in his waistband.
Rodriguez does not have a firearms license, according to the report.
During a search of the residence, police found more than 100 rounds of additional ammunition in a bedroom on the building's third floor, all of which police believe belong to Rodriguez, the report said. His identification was found inside a safe in the bedroom.
During the booking process after his arrest, officers allegedly found nine bags of heroin and $180 in cash.
There was no attorney present in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday who could represent Rodriguez, so he was held without bail pending the appointment of an attorney Monday.
He faces charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony; possession to distribute a Class A drug; possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card; three counts of possession of a large capacity firearm feeding device without a firearm identification card, and three counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card.
He also was charged with a drug violation near a school because the Walnut Street residence is within 300 feet of a licensed daycare facility.
Reach staff writer Adam Shanks at 413-496-6376 or @EagleAdamShanks on Twitter.
