A senior aide to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, rumored to be a possible 2028 candidate, has been arrested in a major cocaine trafficking scheme that allegedly funneled drugs into a state office building.
LaMar Cook, the deputy director of Healey’s western Massachusetts office since 2023, is charged with trafficking more than 200 grams of cocaine, illegal gun possession, and unlawful possession of ammunition, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced Wednesday, The New York Post reported.
Investigators have linked the case to approximately 21 kilograms of cocaine.
Authorities say the arrest followed a Tuesday traffic stop just days after a “controlled delivery operation” involving eight kilos of cocaine sent to the Springfield State Office Building, where Cook worked.
The bust also connects to 13 kilos intercepted earlier at Hotel UMass in Amherst, where Cook had previously been employed.
“Evidence collected during that operation was consistent with the narcotics recovered during the most recent controlled delivery in Springfield,” Gulluni said.
Cook, 45, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Springfield District Court and was ordered held on $25,000 bail.
On LinkedIn, Cook described himself as “a key liaison between the state government and the western region of Massachusetts,” adding that he coordinated policy across four counties.
Healey’s office immediately terminated him after the arrest.
“The governor’s office has been made aware of the arrest of an employee, Lamar Cook,” Healey’s spokesperson told Boston 25 News. “The conduct that occurred here is unacceptable and represents a major breach of the public trust.”
“Mr. Cook has been terminated from his position effective immediately,” the statement continued. “This criminal investigation is ongoing, and our administration will work with law enforcement to assist them in their work.”
Republican candidates eyeing the 2026 governor’s race quickly seized on the scandal.
“Healey has lost control of every aspect of her administration,” GOP hopeful Mike Kennealy wrote on X. “When I’m Governor, we’ll clean up the mess that Maura Healey created.”
Brian Shortsleeve, the former MBTA chief, was equally blunt.
“A top aide to Gov. Maura Healey is a drug trafficker,” Shortsleeve said. “This is beyond shocking.”
“This is a reflection not just on our governor and her failed leadership and management skills, but on our entire state, and we shouldn’t tolerate it,” he added. “Gov. Healey owes Massachusetts an explanation.”
Federal immigration officials launched a new surge of enforcement in Massachusetts, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed in September, WBUR reported.
The latest surge is being called “Patriot 2.0.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens,” a DHS spokesperson said. “If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.”
Gov. Maura Healey called the surge “more of the same” from the Trump administration.
“While they’ve said they’re after violent criminals, what we’ve seen far too often, in such great numbers here and across the country, are construction workers and nannies and health care aides and agriculture workers, who are being taken out of our communities, taken away from their families,” Healey said.
She repeated that Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state.