HOLYOKE — Authorities are still searching for Cory A. Taylor, the New Salem man who posted bail at a local jail and fled in August after he was arrested in a traffic stop in Pelham for allegedly having 138 pounds of marijuana in a van he was driving.
After Taylor’s Aug. 21 arrest, police obtained a search warrant for a converted firehouse with significant high-end renovations at 452 Main St. in Holyoke that law enforcement suspected Taylor used as a base of operations for an illegal pot operation. Inside, they say they found 188 pounds of marijuana, 24 illegal guns, eight cars and $4,049,000 in cash, according to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office.
A spokesperson with the District Attorney’s Office confirmed Thursday that Taylor, 41, is still wanted by police. Police have said they believe Taylor is “armed and dangerous.”
The District Attorney’s Office also released photos Thursday of the cars seized from the Main Street property. Among the cars are three BMWs, two of which are painted in bright blue and green, and another that is painted purple.
Taylor was arrested in Pelham when State Police allegedly found 138 pounds of marijuana in a van he was driving. He was brought to the Hampshire County House of Correction, where bail was set at $2,000 plus fees. He was bailed out the same day and did not appear for his arraignment in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, according to police and court records.
Police gained consent to search a house his mother owns at 2 Fay Road in New Salem, where they allegedly found 37 cars valued at more than $1 million.
After learning that Taylor had been tied to previous police investigations at the converted firehouse in Holyoke, authorities executed a search warrant on Aug. 22 and say they found marijuana, cash, guns and even more cars. The property was sold to Taylor in 2010 for $165,000, according to records filed with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. He created a trust a few months later and transferred the property to it for $1, records show.
According to a search warrant application written by State Police, Taylor had previously been found guilty on marijuana charges in California and was sentenced to probation. The application also cites a Hampden County Narcotics Task Force officer who characterized Taylor as a “well-known marijuana trafficker.” Taylor has several charges pending against him, with drug and firearms offenses among them.
Police are actively looking for Taylor. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office at 413-505-5993.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.