Federal prosecutors say more than 20 people from Massachusetts and Rhode Island have been arrested on drug trafficking charges.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston announced Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration along with state and local police conducted 12 searches in Boston, Fall River, New Bedford, Bridgewater and Providence, Rhode Island.
Court documents allege 23 suspects were involved in two drug trafficking operations, one based in Boston and the other in the Taunton area. They're charged with conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.
Acting U.S. Attorney William Weinreb says the defendants knew they were distributing “potent and potentially lethal” drugs.
Twenty-one suspects were ordered held following initial court appearances in Boston on Tuesday. Two others remain at large.
