Drug busts have become a daily battle for Holyoke police officers. But it's not the arrests they find frustrating, it's making the same arrest only a few nights later.

Just after midnight Holyoke Police arrested five men in the area of Essex and Walnut Streets. All five are men Holyoke police have dealt with before.

Holyoke Police Chief Anthony Scott says, "They are frequent riders on the Hampden County merry go round of justice."

Chief Scott says the men were in possession of nearly 300 bags of crack cocaine and booked for illegal drug trafficking. Their bail was set at $25,000 each.

Chief Scott says, "Subsequently they went to arraignment today and they were all released on their personal recognizance so you can inform the neighbors that they will be right back out there tonight probably doing the same thing."

It's an issue Holyoke Police Chief Anthony Scott finds frustrating and Scott complains often and publicly.

Chief Scott says, "It's a very vicious cycle and it's very disturbing to me and to the officers who go out, do their job and turn around and see the courts release these individuals."

Those repeat offenders can be tracked even easier now. The department has just received a new Afis Fingerprint Machine thru a $20,000 grant from the city.

Chief Scott says, "This new machine is two generations advanced than the old machine that we have and it's going to take much better electronic prints and it's going to transmit them quicker to the state police and to the FBI."

Chief Scott says the new device might help keep the same frequent offenders off the streets.