Alleged drug, gambling ring busted in Stoughton

STOUGHTON, Mass. — Police have charged six people in connection to an illegal drug and gambling ring that had been operating inside an American Legion Hall in Stoughton.

A woman who lives a few doors away from the building says she often hears noise coming from the building late into the night and wakes up to liquor bottles all over her yard.

"It's too bad, its an American Legion and it shouldn't be that way," Sandra Nickerson said.

Nickerson, a wife of a veteran, says she supports the hall getting shut down.

"If it can be for the veterans, so be it, but if they can't clean it up really good - let it shut because it's not doing anybody any good the way it is," Nickerson said.

Stoughton Police worked with several other agencies for months before they raided the building last Thursday. Police told Boston 25 News reporter Stephanie Coueignoux this isn't the first time they have uncovered drugs and gambling in the American Legion Hall.

This time, they found some cocaine inside and some residue of cocaine on a countertop as well as a gambling machine.

The Stoughton Town Hall and the Alcohol Beverages Control Commission haven't issued statements on whether they plan on shutting down the hall.

Police say they are not involved in the decision making, but they hope their investigation serves as a wake-up call for the town.

Cox Media Group