6 men arrested as part of multi-state drug operation

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy announced that six men were arrested Wednesday for their alleged involvement with a drug trafficking operation that spanned Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Texas.

John Campbell of Taunton, Kenneth Veiga of Abington, Michael Atwood of Carver, Austin Gonsalves of Fall River, Scott Lambert of Falmouth, and Christan Russell of Tomball, Texas were all accused of being part of a drug operation that distributed oxycodone pills obtained from a source in the Houston area across Southeastern Massachusetts and beyond.

An investigation into 40-year-old Campbell began in April 2022 that involved a series of controlled buys and the interception of telephone calls and texts messages revealed that the Campbell was buying the oxycodone pills from pharmacies and distributing them to the men, who would then re-distribute them.

On February 23, 2023, 55-year-old Lambert was was stopped by police in Bourne, who found 73 oxycodone pills hidden in a Krazy Glue container.

Each man was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and were expected in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

Levy said the charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million.