(This story was updated to add new information.)
The FBI and police swept through neighborhoods in Erie on Wednesday seeking to arrest 24 residents on drug and weapons charges, including trafficking in fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
The sweeps occurred at the same time the indictments against the 24 were unsealed in U.S. District Court in Erie. The indictments were issued on Sept. 10 and unsealed once the arrests started, according to court records. The Erie Times-News initially reported the defendants numbered 23. The latest newly unsealed records put the number at 24.
One of the raids, police confirmed, occurred at a house in the 400 block of West 31st Street, near Chestnut Street, at about 6 a.m. Agents used a battering ram on the front door and used flash-bang grenades during the sweep of the house, a neighbor said.
Of the 24 defendants, six were indicted in their own cases. The other 18 were indicted in groups and on conspiracy charges. One group is made up of 14 defendants and another is made up of four defendants, according to court records.