Are Taxis in Worcester Fueling the City’s Drug Trade?
Thursday, June 04, 2015
The driver, who will remain anonymous, told GoLocal, “It happens all the time. We drop people off and within minutes they’re calling again to get picked up. They never tell us to stay. The boss knows what’s going on. Everyone does. They’re selling drugs.”
The taxi driver told this reporter that he spends most of his night picking people up, dropping them off and then picking them up again shortly after. The driver also mentioned that he has expressed his concerns several times to his boss, but received no feedback and the matter has not been brought to light since.
(It should be noted that the taxi driver originally thought that this reporter was a police officer and initially addressed the subject because of the confusion with the reporter’s last name. The driver was immediately corrected and continued to disclose information. Also, any driver that spoke with GoLocal did so anonymously as to not affect their job and to not make connection to their cab company.)
At the corners of Plantation Street and Hamilton Street, the cab driver pointed out that area as frequent location of picking people up and subsequently dropping them off and picking them up again within minutes.
Is this Really an Issue in Worcester?
GoLocalWorcester took several cabs over the course of the past three days and asked each cab driver what they thought of the first taxi driver’s remarks.
"Oh yes, the nights are crazy," said a Worcester taxi driver. "I hate working nights. They're scary. They're dealing drugs when I work."
"I always see drug deals and crack heads on Park Ave," said one taxi driver. "I also see cabs hanging out in the same area. Cops focus on Main South so these homeless migrate to Park Ave and surrounding areas."
“It don’t find it unlikely,” said the driver. “Even if it is happening, they won’t stop it. We aren’t cops. They want their money. And so do we. I just don’t want any trouble.”
It’s Happened Recently in Central MA
Just this past February, Massachusetts State Police stopped a Worcester man driving a Toyota Camry taxi in Oxford. Taxi driver 25-year-old Michael Geldart, along with two other men, was arrested for drug possession and was cited for a burnt out tail light.
Geldart’s passenger, 34-year-old Jason Niemszyk, was arrested for trafficking cocaine. A second Worcester man, Alberto Escobar was cited for not wearing a seatbelt and then subsequently arrested on two outstanding warrants of larceny and possession of drugs with intent to distribute.
In a more recent incident, State police stopped a taxi last month in Brockton for traffic violations which led to the arrest of the passenger Damien Cortez, 26, of Boston, with 106 grams of heroin on him.
The driver of the taxi was cited for speeding and failing to signal.
Related Articles
- Special Report: Uber vs Taxi Experiences in Worcester
- A History of Trafficking and the Issue of Minimum Drug Sentencing
- Worcester Taxi Company Criticizes Uber For Price Gouging, Undercutting Competition
- Interstate Partnership to Benefit Heroin Trafficking in Massachusetts
- Overdoses and Drug Trafficking On the Rise in Massachusetts
- NEW: MA Taxi Owners and Operators Form Coalition to Fight Uber
- Coalition of Taxi Groups Forming to Fight Uber
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- Two Men Arrested, Charged With Cocaine Trafficking
- Two Worcester Men Arrested in Oxford for Trafficking Cocaine
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