BOSTON — Pittsfield High School Dean of Students Lavante Wiggins was among two men arrested Wednesday for their alleged roles in trafficking “large amounts of cocaine” in western Massachusetts, the U.S. Attorney said.
Wiggins, 30, and Theodore Warren (aka Monty), 42, both of Pittsfield, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement.
According to the charging documents, Wiggins was in charge of running a drug trafficking organization that had distributed “large amounts of cocaine” in the Pittsfield area. Warren served as a runner for the operation, authorities said.
In August, Wiggins began sending Warren to conduct drug sales, as Wiggins believed he was under investigation. One of their customers had amounted a large debt upwards to $34,000 for cocaine that Wiggins would provide credit for.
Wiggins and Warren would slowly collect on that debt, while simultaneously supplying the same customer. Wiggins told Warren on four separate times to supply the same customer from September to December 2024, including:
- approximately 91 grams of cocaine on Sept. 10;
- approximately 100 grams of cocaine on Oct. 14;
- 125 grams of cocaine on Oct. 31; and
- 150 grams of cocaine on Dec. 10.
Both Wiggins and Warren face a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
Both men were expected to appear in federal court in Springfield on Wednesday.
Wiggins earned $79,933 in 2023 in his role as dean of students, according to online city payroll records.
It was unclear Wednesday whether any of the alleged cocaine trafficking by Wiggins happened during school time, or on school property.
School officials welcomed Wiggins to his new position in a 2021 post on Pittsfield High School’s Facebook page. The post shows Wiggins standing on steps with other educators.
“We are excited to welcome our new Dean of Students, Lavante Wiggins to Pittsfield High School!” the April 5, 2021 post read.
His employment status with the district was not immediately known following his arrest on Wednesday.
Pittsfield is a city in Berkshire County in western Massachusetts. The city’s population was 43,927 at the 2020 census.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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