Springfield Crack Dealer Gets 7 Years

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Another dealer off the streets, but for how long? Larry Smith Jr., 30, of Springfield, received a seven-year federal sentence today after admitting to peddling crack cocaine in the city. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni handed down the punishment, along with three years of supervised release, in Boston.

Smith pleaded guilty back in November 2016 to two counts of distributing and one count of possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The feds say Smith wasn’t shy about his trade. On February 18, 2015, and again on March 5, 2015, he reportedly sold the drug to a cooperating witness – a common tactic, but it worked this time. A subsequent search on April 3, 2015, turned up an additional ten grams of crack, clearly intended for further distribution.

But this wasn’t Smith’s first rodeo. Far from it. Court records reveal a deeply troubling pattern of violent behavior and repeat offenses within the Massachusetts state court system. In 2010, he was convicted of carrying both a firearm without a license and a loaded firearm without a license – a clear disregard for the law and public safety.

Digging deeper, the history gets uglier. 2009 saw convictions for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assaulting a police officer. Before that, in 2007, Smith racked up convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon, four counts of assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest. And it started early – back in 2004, he faced convictions for two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and, again, possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb and Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Boston Field Division, jointly announced the sentencing. This was a clear message from federal authorities that drug dealing, especially with this kind of prior record, won’t be tolerated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine A. Wagner, from Weinreb’s Springfield Office, led the prosecution.

Seven years is a start, but whether it’s enough to deter Smith – a man with a documented history of violence and drug dealing – remains to be seen. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on Smith’s future, should he re-offend. The question isn’t *if* he’ll be back in trouble, but *when*.

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