More than 30 arrested in Woonsocket drug bust

February 29, 2016 7:12 pm

By Ana Bottary

abottary@abc6.com

@anabottary

A major drug trafficking operation has come to an end. Thousands of dollars and drugs have been seized from the the Veterans Memorial Housing Complex in Woonsocket.

"Woonsocket Police and undercover detectives collaborating with our federal, state, and local law enforcement conducted over 60 controlled buys of heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine from 35 individual drug dealers," says Capt. Michael Lamoine, acting Chief of the Woonsocket Police.

Police say only 11 of the 35 drug dealers live in the complex and the others come from various cities, many of who have lengthy criminal records.

"Twelve of whom are being arrested as habitual offenders. 15 of whom have violations hanging over their head from prior cases. These are not good law-abiding citizens. These are criminals who are willing to put onto the streets and into our schools drugs that can hurt and kill people," says Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.

In 2015, there were 39 drug overdose deaths in Woonsocket and there have already been six this year. During a press conference Monday, the DEA announced the significance of taking this large amount of drugs off the streets.

"If you looks at 30 grams of heroin and fentanyl that were seized and you break that down into dosage units that would be approximatly enough heroin to give 1000 residents of Woonsocket one dosage of heroin," says Special Agent Michael Ferguson of the DEA.

Police stress the fact that each time drugs are taken off the streets, lives are saved. In order to continue ridding the city of drugs, police say they need the community’s help.

"Residents need to stand up for their neighborhoods and work with the police to find ways to make them safer and protect their quality of life. It is true: if you see something, say something," adds Captain Lamoine.