Crime & Safety

Winchester Police Offers Part of SWAT Team Raid on Alleged Peabody Drug Dealer

The following information was supplied by the Winchester Police Department. Charges listed do not indicate convictions.

A Winchester Police Officer joined a joint SWAT team raid in Peabody in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at 5 a.m. on January 17.

Police entered the apartment and seized with heroin possession, drug paraphernalia, cash and a semi-automatic handgun from the home. They arrested Joel Ayala, 28, of 2 Munro Court apartment 1 with possession with intent to distribute a Class A drug and possession of a firearm without a license.

The arrest came after a lengthy narcotics investigation between Peabody and Salem detectives and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Officers gained entry to the apartment and executed the arrest warrant without incident.

Find out what's happening in Winchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The SWAT team from the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council consisted of units from Salem, Chelmsford, Winchester and Westford.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.