Two arrested in Athol drug raid; man charged with trafficking after crack and heroin seized from home

ATHOL — According to Task Force Officer Paul Forand of the Athol Police Department, during a recent investigation conducted by the Northwestern District Anti-Crime Task Force (NDATF) and Athol Police Department, probable cause was developed to believe that a man – later identified as Taylor Balfour – was distributing crack cocaine and heroin/fentanyl from his residence located on Intervale Avenue.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts of Officer Paul Forand and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

On June 23, 2025, Officer Forand submitted search warrant applications to the Franklin Superior Court requesting authorization to search Balfour’s residence and two cell phones for evidence related to the distribution of heroin/fentanyl. The applications were reviewed and authorized by the court.

According to police, Taylor S. Balfour, 65, is a resident of 234 Intervale Avenue, Athol, MA.

According to Officer Forand, on June 23, 2025, members of the NDATF and the Athol Police Department executed the search warrant at 234 Intervale Avenue in Athol.

“The search warrant execution team approached the rear entry door of the residence. I knocked on the door and announced ‘police search warrant’ in a loud and clear tone,” Officer Forand said. “After the first knock, the door opened as it was not shut all the way. The search warrant execution team then made entry into the residence.”

When officers entered the residence, they first located Corey Melanson, 49, in the rear bedroom. Balfour was located in the kitchen area.

“Taylor Balfour was located in the kitchen area and began moving towards the living room area,” Officer Forand said. “Investigators gave numerous verbal commands for Balfour to stop and show his hands, to which he did not comply.”

Officer Forand said that Balfour walked into a bedroom, later determined to be his, where he was detained by investigators.

“Both parties were detained and advised they were being audio and video recorded,” Officer Forand said. “I then advised both of their Miranda Rights from the card I carry in my uniform vest pocket. I also presented and explained the search warrant to both parties and left a copy in the residence.”

Balfour and Melanson were then searched.

“Located in Melanson’s front left pants pocket was approximately 100 bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl,” Officer Forand said. “Later, during the booking process, an additional approximately 50 bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl was located in Melanson’s rear pants pocket.”

During a search of the residence, investigators located the following:

1. A white chunky substance weighing approximately 15.29 grams, consistent with crack cocaine, was found in a white container inside a jean jacket in Balfour’s bedroom closet. The substance was located in the immediate area where Balfour was detained.
2. A white chunky substance weighing approximately 4.87 grams, consistent with crack cocaine, was found in the pocket of a black jacket inside Balfour’s bedroom closet. The item was located in the immediate area where Balfour was detained.
3. A functioning digital scale with white powder residue on its surface was found inside a nightstand in Balfour’s bedroom.
4. A functioning digital scale with white powder residue on its surface was found on a table in the living room.

“Based on my training and experience, the presence of a digital scale with suspected cocaine residue, along with packaging materials commonly associated with narcotics sales, indicates that the suspected crack cocaine seized from Balfour’s bedroom was not solely for personal use, but at least a portion was possessed with the intent to distribute,” Officer Forand said.

Taylor Balfour was transported to the Athol Police Department where he was booked for the following offense:

• Cocaine Trafficking in 18 grams or More, Less than 36 grams

Corey Melanson was also arrested and transported to the Athol Police Department for booking on the following charge:

• Possession of Class A Substance (Heroin), Subsequent Offense

Officer Forand stated that, based on Melanson’s Board of Probation record, he received a guilty finding on the charge of Possession of a Class A Substance in Gardner District Court, which was arraigned on March 16, 2011, thereby making the current charge a subsequent offense.

Bail for Balfour was set at $15,000 and bail for Melanson was set at $7,500.

“Both parties were later transported to Franklin County Jail by the Franklin County Sherrif’s Office Transport Van,” Officer Forand said.

The drugs seized during the investigation were submitted to the Massachusetts State Police Forensic Laboratory for testing.

Balfour was arraigned in Orange District Court on June 27, 2025. During his arraignment, a bail hearing was held and his bail was decreased to $1,000 cash by Judge Laurie MacLeod.

On June 29, 2025, cash bail was posted by a surety for Balfour in the amount of $1,000.

According to the criminal docket, on July 11, 2025, the Commonwealth revoked Balfour’s bail for 90 days following an agreement between the prosecution and defense. The matter was continued to August 1, 2025.

(Please note: Arraignment and subsequent court date information for Melanson was not included in the records obtained by News Link Live through its public records request.)

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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