Tewksbury Police, Regional SWAT Arrest Man On Gun, Drug Charges

TEWKSBURY, MA — Tewksbury police worked with the regional SWAT team to arrest a Tewksbury man and charge him with assault, gun and drug charges Monday, police said.

George R. Panagopoulos, 39 of Tewksbury, was charged with:

• "Firearm Violation with One Prior Violent/Drug Crime
• Possession of a Firearm Without FID Card, Subsequent Offense
• Improper Storage of a Firearm
• Possession of a Class B Drug, Subsequent Offense (Suboxone)
• Possession of a Class E Drug (Sustanon)
• Possession of a Class E Drug (Trenbolone Acetate)
• Possession of a Class E Drug (Testosterone Cypiuonate)
• Assault and Battery"

Tewksbury police "began investigating alleged threats against an individual" Sunday, the police said in a news release. Through that investigation, they learned that Panagopoulos illegally had at least one gun.

Police obtained a search warrant for Panagopoulos' Crescent Street home. They asked the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council for help serving the warrant, "due to the threat posed by the illegally possessed firearms."

Tewksbury police and the SWAT team served the search warrant Monday morning. They found a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun "unsecured in a bedroom closet." Panagopoulos does not have a gun license, the police said.

Police also found "several packages of suboxone and several vials of various types of steroids, which were also seized."

Panagopoulos was arrested without incident and held without bail pending arraignment Monday.

At his arraignment, bail for Panagopoulos was set at $2,500 cash with conditions that he stay away from the victim, not contact the victim and not assault the victim. He is due back in court Jan. 12.

All people are presumed innocent until proven guilty.