The Healey administration’s Western Massachusetts Deputy Director LaMar Cook was arrested after State Police intercepted a cocaine shipment at the Springfield State Office, the Hampden DA’s office announced Wednesday.
“The Governor’s Office has been made aware of the arrest of an employee, Lamar Cook,” a spokesperson for the governor said. “The conduct that occurred here is unacceptable and represents a major breach of the public trust. Mr. Cook has been terminated from his position effective immediately. This criminal investigation is ongoing, and our administration will work with law enforcement to assist them in their work.”
Cook, 45, of Springfield, was arrested while driving his car on Tuesday evening and charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Cook had worked in the Healey administration since 2023.
State Police seized “multiple parcels containing a combined total of approximately 21 kilograms of suspected cocaine” in the investigation, the DA’s office said.
The defendant’s trafficking charges relate to about eight kilograms of suspected cocaine intercepted during a “controlled delivery operation” at the Springfield State Office building on Dwight Street where Cook worked on Saturday, according to the Hampden DA.
On Monday night, the DA’s office said, state police investigators executed a search warrant for the suspect’s former office in the building.
The investigation stems from two prior drug trafficking seizures earlier this month, the DA’s office said. In one on Oct. 10, police intercepted about 13 kilograms of suspected cocaine in two “suspicious packages” at Hotel UMass in Amherst. Cook was the director of Hotel UMass before being hired by the Healey administration.
“Evidence collected during that operation was consistent with the narcotics recovered during the most recent controlled delivery in Springfield,” the Hampden DA’s office said.
A UMass spokesperson directed questions to prosecutors.
Republican gubernatorial candidates Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve released statements on the arrest Wednesday, calling the incident a “disgrace for our state” and “a total collapse of standards, screening, and supervision” respectively.
“She must be held accountable for the people she chooses to surround herself with,” Kennealy said. “Whether it’s general leadership incompetence and the high turnover among her cabinet secretaries, or criminal behavior like that of LaMar Cook, there’s something fundamentally rotten in this administration.”
Shortsleeve cited the hiring of a sex offender at the RMV as well, saying he would “conduct a full audit of every agency” as governor.
The Hampden DA stated the investigation was led by the Massachusetts State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, State Police with the Hampden DA’s office, and assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and other partner agencies.
The investigation was active and ongoing and “may result in additional charges related to the prior shipments in Hampshire County.”
Cook had been paid $96,564 this year, according to state payroll records. His annual salary was $115,968.
When Healey in 2023 announced that she hired Cook as deputy director, she called Cook and the Western Massachusetts director “two proven leaders with deep ties to Western Mass.”
Also, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll at the time said, “This dynamic Western Massachusetts duo will make a major impact on the region. Kristen and LaMar are well-known and trusted leaders in Western Mass and I’m excited for even more residents to get to know them.”
Cook is “a major presence in the Springfield business community,” the state wrote back in 2023. He was the co-founder of the Back to School Brighter Initiative, which has provided children in Springfield a fresh start to their academic year with free haircuts, backpacks, and school supplies.
Source link
