For Immediate Release: 1/14/2025 1:41 pm
On January 13, 2025, at approximately 10:25 PM, Worcester Police Officers located a vehicle which they confirmed was stolen. Officers pulled the vehicle over on Ward Street.
As officers approached the vehicle, they noticed both males reaching around. The driver jumped into the back seat. Both males were removed from the vehicle. A large knife was found on the operator, twenty-four-year-old Maxwell Smith. Smith claimed he did not know who the vehicle belonged to, while the passenger, thirty-one-year-old Joe Santos- Vazquez, claimed it was his uncle’s. He could not provide his uncle’s name or address.
A search of Mr. Smith uncovered multiple bags of illegal drugs believed to be crack cocaine and Fentanyl. The cocaine weighed 40.88 grams, which is considered a trafficking weight. The Fentanyl was individually wrapped in baggies, which is consistent with distribution. A baggy believed to contain meth was found on the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
Maxwell Smith is charged with Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Class A with Intent to Distribute, Trafficking a Class B Substance 37-99 Grams, and Carrying A Dangerous Weapon. Joe Santos- Vazquez is charged with Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle and Possession of a Class B Substance.
The registered owner of the vehicle was contacted and came to pick up the vehicle.
