Officials: Blue state taxpayers provide free housing to illegal immigrant with $1M worth of drugs and guns.

An illegal immigrant was found with an AR-15 and $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room, prompting a Massachusetts state senator to question the state's emergency housing assistance program.

On December 27, 28-year-old Leonardo Andujar Sanchez of the Dominican Republic was arrested by Revere Police and charged with 11 criminal counts in Chelsea District Court. The charges included 10 counts related to firearms possession, including being an "alien" in possession of a firearm, and one count for possession of approximately 10 pounds of the synthetic opiate.

On Wednesday, Sanchez was charged in Massachusetts federal court with possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm. In his room at the Quality Inn in Revere, authorities discovered five kilograms of suspected fentanyl, an AR-style assault rifle, ammunition, two rifle magazines, digital scales, and latex gloves.

According to an agency press release, the drugs seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston were collectively worth about $1 million. The agency was called in by local police after Sanchez was arrested, and determined that he had entered the U.S. illegally.

On Dec. 30, Sanchez was arraigned and denied bail. Although Judge Jane Prince ordered the court documents to be sealed, some details about Sanchez's arrest emerged from federal court records.

On Dec. 27 at 6:30 a.m., Sanchez's girlfriend contacted Revere police to report that he had drugs and a long, black gun concealed under a pink suitcase in their hotel room. The woman, who had been staying at the Quality Inn for three months, informed police that she and Sanchez had acquired the room through a refugee program.

In federal court records, a Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer wrote that police found fentanyl, an AR-style assault rifle, ammunition, digital scales, and latex scales, commonly used in drug distribution, after waking and handcuffing Sanchez, who was sleeping in the room.

Since October 15, the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities has confirmed that Sanchez and his family have been residing at the Revere Quality Inn in Boston.

The office revealed that it performs warrant checks on emergency assistance residences every 30 days and maintains on-site security at hotels used for the program at all times.

"The office stated that there is no tolerance for criminal activity in EA shelters. Immediate action was taken to dismiss this person from the EA system, and it was confirmed that federal immigration officials have filed a detainer."

According to WCVB, Gov. Maura Healey stated on Tuesday that Sanchez had never applied for housing and was not enrolled in the emergency assistance program. However, he was residing in that shelter.

Sen. Ryan Fattman questioned how Sanchez was able to benefit from the program while many of his constituents, who were born in the country, were unable to do so.

A mother of two in Fattman's district had her house burn down a few days ago, and she is unable to access a shelter because they are prioritizing helping the world. Fattman expressed his outrage on Planet Chronicle Digital.

Massachusetts is the only state in the country that offers a "Right to Shelter" for homeless families, which includes adults and their children, since 1983. In the past two years, the state has spent approximately $2.5 million on sheltering undocumented immigrants under its emergency shelter program.

"We've learned that the vetting process for some individuals is flawed because dangerous criminal migrants have been coming into Massachusetts and causing harm to people, including those in shelters. Sanchez, a recent arrival from the Dominican Republic, is the latest example. He trafficked $1 million worth of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine and possessed illegal firearms. Despite being a taxpayer-funded shelter program, Sanchez is living out of it."

According to the Boston Herald, individuals residing in the state's emergency shelter program must adhere to federal poverty guidelines, which stipulate that they must earn less than $1,443 per month, with an additional $515 for each additional person in the household.

But according to the outlet, Sanchez has retained a private attorney.

Fattman stated that criminals are intelligent and will not disclose if they are aware of a free program that could benefit them, particularly if they are involved in drug trafficking. They are not foolish and will exploit the laws to their advantage. This is evident from their actions.

"Now, it's even more frustrating because they can afford private representation, but they're using public funds to live in a hotel and sell drugs, while people I represent, who have lost their homes and are about to become homeless, are left behind. It's like they're cutting in line in front of us," he said.

The first step to comprehending the state's possible flaws in its vetting process for the program, according to Fattman, is to unseal Sanchez's court documents.

"In order to make the best course forward, we need to know how to change this. The only way to know is by un-impounding the documents and revealing what's in them, and knowing how this person got here - who made the decision to bring them here. Fattman said. If they're part of a cartel, we've invited the cartels into Massachusetts to do harm to our families and children. It's completely unacceptable."

In August, the Republican Party of Massachusetts accused Healey of secretly spending over $1 billion on the state's migrant crisis.

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration has kept nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark, according to Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale. The administration has withheld critical information on 600 incidents involving police, fire, and EMTs. Additionally, the administration has blocked journalists at every turn, obstructing the flow of information to the public."

Neither the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities nor the governor's office provided a response to inquiries for comment.

Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state, as all shelters undergo mandatory searches and background checks on everyone in the state's shelter system to ensure that no criminals reside in those facilities.

The governor, who is a Democrat, expressed her disappointment with the federal government's immigration policies and expressed hope that President-elect Trump would address the border issue.

Planet Chronicle' Andrew Fone contributed to this report.