In a major crackdown on drug trafficking within southeastern Massachusetts, a collaborative law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of sixteen individuals linked to a cocaine and fentanyl distribution network. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced that the sting, codenamed “Operation No Love,” involved coordinated efforts from multiple agencies including the Massachusetts State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and local police departments across the region.
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office reported that during the two-day operation on April 15 and April 16, law enforcement officials executed search warrants at 20 locations, with a substantial seizure of narcotics and firearms. The raids uncovered approximately 2,360 grams of cocaine and 1,364 grams of fentanyl, along with 33 firearms, several high-capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and over $100,000 in cash believed to be proceeds from drug transactions. This operation was a response to what the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2024 Threat Assessment describes as “the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced,” citing nearly 38,000 American deaths related to fentanyl in just the first half of 2023, as mentioned on the Office of the Attorney General.
The expansive investigation began in March 2024 when members of CINRET-South, integrated with personnel from the Brockton and East Bridgewater Police Departments and HSI, initiated surveillance of the drug trafficking outfit. An undercover state trooper successfully completed nine controlled drug purchases, laying the groundwork for further scrutiny through physical and electronic surveillance, toll analysis, and wiretaps on suspects’ phones. Information gleaned from these tactics enabled investigators to discern the network’s structure and operations, culminating in the issuance of search warrants across multiple counties…