Officers seize 24 kilos of drugs, four guns in Methuen, Lawrence raids – Boston Herald

Attorney General Maura Healey, standing adjacent to a table lined with guns, drugs and cash, called a bust seizing over 24 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine across Lawrence and Methuen the largest in her office’s history.

“This haul represents potentially millions of dollars worth of drugs off of the streets, and more importantly, hundreds of thousands of lethal doses,” she said in a Thursday press conference at her office.

A two-year investigation by combined federal agencies and the Woburn and Methuen police departments led to a search warrant at 14 locations across Lawrence and Methuen, capturing four guns and $100,000 in cash along with the drugs. Eleven people were charged with drug trafficking offenses, and one person from Methuen was charged with possession of a firearm. The drug charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years.

Healey said the enterprise was managed by individuals as far away as New Jersey, and was an extensive drug operation involving people in the distribution chain throughout New England.

Methuen police Capt. James Jajuga commented on the combined law enforcement officers’ efforts in “combating this scourge” of the illicit distribution of drugs.

“This underground economy has a direct and detrimental impact on countless lives and knows no boundaries, geographic, economic or otherwise,” he said.

Healey declined to elaborate on the surveillance and technology used in the investigation.

“A lot of this involves old-school policing. Great detective work,” she said. “Its risky, it’s dangerous, it’s time-consuming.”

Healey also said she couldn’t speak to the immigration status of those arrested, only confirming they are residents of Lawrence and Methuen.

The bust adds to Healey’s fight against the opioid epidemic, spearheaded by the Fentanyl Strike Force, which received a $3 million federal grant last year. Healey said the task force so far has confiscated 227 kilograms of fentanyl, 14,000 opioid pills, $6 million and 300 arrests.