6 Gang Members Arrested For Breaking Into 12 Stores, Including Elia’s In Wilmington, & Stealing $50K In Lottery Tickets

Below is a press release from the Essex District Attorney’s Office:

SALEM, MA — Six people were arrested in multiple cities last week in relation to 121 indictments charging known members and associates of the Trinitarios with various charges to include BE nighttime for felony, Larceny + $1200, Larceny from a Building, Wanton Destruction of property +$1200, Receiving Stolen Property – $1200, Common and Notorious Thief, Money Laundering, and Improper use of Credit Card -$1200.

The investigation dubbed “Operation Smash & Cash” is a result of a three-month long multi agency approach into at least 12 breaks into convenience stores spanning Essex & Middlesex counties and across four New Hampshire communities and the subsequent theft of approximately $50,000 dollars of lottery tickets during the months of February, March, and April of 2024.

The defendants listed below were arraigned and the respective defendants were held without bail in District Court on the Fugitive from Justice charges until May 30th. They were then arraigned on the indictments in Superior Court and held without bail until May 8th and 10th when arguments for bail will be heard.

David Garcia, 22, of Lynn, MA

BE nighttime for felony
Larceny + $1200
Larceny from a Building
Wanton Destruction of property +$1200
Receiving Stolen Property – $1200
Common and Notorious Thief
Money Laundering
Fugitive from Justice

Darwin Batista, 20 of Lynn, MA

Money Laundering
Fugitive from Justice

Angel Santos, 24 of Lynn, MA

Money Laundering
Fugitive from Justice

Israel Garcia, 22 of Methuen, MA

Money Laundering
Fugitive from Justice

Westyn Lantigua, 23 of Lynn, MA

BE nighttime for felony
Larceny + $1200
Larceny from a Building
Wanton Destruction of property +$1200
Receiving Stolen Property – $1200
Common and Notorious Thief
Money Laundering
Improper use of Credit Card -$1200
Fugitive from Justice

Aaron Diaz Liranzo, 25 of Revere, MA
Money Laundering
Fugitive from Justice

“These indictments and arrests are a reflection of the tremendous partnerships between state and local agencies and represent how law enforcement and prosecutors from my office work tirelessly and side-by-side to solve and prosecute crimes perpetrated by criminal networks,” said District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.

Arrest and search warrants were conducted  by a coalition of law enforcement partners in various cities, including Revere, Lawrence, Methuen, Swampscott, and Lynn.

Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office, Detectives from the Lynn, Marblehead, Peabody, Saugus, Swampscott, Wakefield, Wilmington, and Tewksbury, MA police departments, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Detectives from Seabrook, Windham, Merrimack, Fremont, Nashua, Derry and Exeter, New Hampshire investigated the case. Significant assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), The Massachusetts State Police STOP team and Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS), The Lottery, and from the Boston, Everett, Revere, Salem, Lawrence, and Methuen police departments.

Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Strasnick, Marina Moriarty and Caitlin Shugrue are prosecuting this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

SWAMPSCOTT
On February 27, 2024, at approximately 6:04am, Swampscott Police responded to 219 Paradise Road, Citgo Gas Station, for a report of a breaking and entering in progress. Officers arriving on scene observed the middle glass window of the business was broken and glass was scattered around it. It was reported that over 300 MA scratch tickets had been stolen during the break.

SAUGUS
On March 2, 2024, at approximately 4:12am, Saugus Police were notified by a citizen that the front window to the Richdale Convenience Store at 306 Lincoln Avenue was smashed. Upon arrival officers that the far-right window was smashed in the area behind the cash register. The store owner reported that multiple rolls of scratch tickets had been taken as well as packs of cigarettes.

WAKEFIELD
On March 6, 2024, at approximately 3:05am, Wakefield Police were dispatched to 222 Salem Street (Salem Variety Store) for a burglary alarm activation. Officers arrived on scene and observed a broken front window. The owner arrived on scene and reported that multiple books of lottery tickets had been stolen.

PEABODY
On March 6, 2024, at approximately 3:57am, Peabody Police were dispatched to the A One Market located at 50 Central Street for a front door motion alarm. Officers noticed that a window in the front of the store towards the left of the door was shattered. Officers further observed that the cash registers were open and lottery tickets were ripped off the walls and missing.

MARBLEHEAD
On March 13, 2024, at approximately 3:45am, officers were dispatched to an alarm call at the Richdale Convenient Store located at 29 Smith Street. Responding officers observed a front window that had been smashed out. It was reported to officers that a large container of scratch tickets had been stolen from the store.

SEABROOK, NH
On Tuesday March 19, 2024, at approximately 03:57 am, three males broke into the Richdale Convenience Store located at 472 Lafayette Road in Seabrook, NH. Two males entered the store and stole a plastic container filled with 43 rolls of different scratch tickets, while a third remained outside to be a look out.

NASHUA, NH
On March 25, 2024, at approximately 0250 hours a breaking and entering of the Citgo located at 159 Amherst Street in Nashua, NH was reported. Later that same day, the stolen tickets were cashed at a Market Basket in Bedford, NH.

FREMONT, NH
On March 27, 2024, at approximately 0520 hours a breaking and entering was reported at the Village Market located at 6 Danville Road in Fremont, NH. It was reported that scratch tickets were stolen and later cashed at a Hannaford store in Derry, NH.

WINDHAM, NH
On Friday, March 29, 2024, at approximately 0414 hours, there was a breaking and entering reported at the Engen Gas Station located at 132 North Lowell Road, in Windham, NH. Scratch tickets were reported stolen.

WILMINGTON, MA
On Friday March 29, 2024, at approximately 0505 hours, there was a breaking and entering reported at the Eli’s County Store in Wilmington. In the video around 0506hrs a male party breaks the glass window, enters the store, and steals a whole clear box lottery dispensary with rolled lottery scratch tickets in it.

PEABODY
On April 11, 2024, at approximately 4:16 AM, Peabody police responded to 139 Lynnfield Street (Richdale) for a breaking and entering. The window had been smashed out and numerous MA lottery scratch tickets had been stolen.

LYNN
On April 11, 2024, at approximately 3:37am, Lynn Police were dispatched to the Richdale Convenience Store at 543 Chatham Street for a breaking and entering. Responding officers were informed that a cash register had been broken and numerous scratch tickets were taken.