The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Franklin Police Department made 27 arrests Tuesday and Wednesday after a three-month investigation into a drug trafficking scheme.
On Tuesday, law enforcement officers exercised three search warrants, arresting 17 individuals and seizing a firearm, illegal drugs and $100,000 in cash, according to Franklin Police.
Authorities made another 10 arrests the following day and cleared a homeless encampment involved in distributing drugs.
“The DEA took the lead on this case, and we are proud to have supported their efforts,” said Dan Poirier, Franklin’s chief of police. “By working together, we were able to remove a significant drug trafficking operation from our community.”
The DEA and Franklin Police Department worked for months to conduct surveillance, gather evidence and build cases around the drug trafficking network that eventually led to this week’s arrests, officials said.
Jarod Forget, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s New England division, said in a statement that the Sinaloa Cartel based in Mexico has “a strong hold” on drug distribution in the region and that the operation impeded the group’s street level network.
“This case is an excellent example of how federal leadership and local cooperation can come together to protect communities like Franklin from the dangers of drug trafficking,” Forget said.
Some arrests were directly tied to drug trafficking; others were unrelated but the arrested individuals were part of the network’s operation, according to police.
Names and charges have not been released.
