HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – An anti-gang detail in Holyoke led to one arrest, as well as the seizure of drugs and a loaded gun.

Holyoke Police said police were working a detail early Saturday morning, aimed at deterring gang activity, when they saw a motorcycle rider without a helmet in the area of Maple and Suffolk Streets. The rider, 24-year-old Joshua Rodriguez of Springfield, stopped near 173 Elm Street and was approached by police.

Investigators learned that Rodriguez did not have a license and during a search, seven vials of cocaine were reportedly found on his person. He was arrested and charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and possession of a Class B drug.

While police were on-scene dealing with Rodriguez’s arrest, an officer saw another motorcycle, unrelated to the previous incident, with no license plate parked on Elm Street. Investigators discovered that the motorcycle’s registration had been canceled. Inside a bag located on the motorcycle, police reportedly found a loaded gun with a flashlight attachment, 181 bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl, 47 vials of suspected cocaine, 23 baggies of suspected cocaine, and more than $200 in cash. The gun, police said, was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition.

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