federal

Nine men have been charged in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with distributing heroin and cocaine in Bristol County. According to court documents, 43-year-old Luis Lopez of Tiverton and Fall River was the head of a drug trafficking organization that imported large amounts of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New Bedford and Fall River...

BOSTON (AP) _ The trial of a Massachusetts fishing magnate known as ``The Codfather'' on federal conspiracy and cash smuggling charges has been scheduled for January. The trial for 64-year-old Carlos Rafael and an alleged accomplice was scheduled by a judge Wednesday...

President Obama's decree that schools need to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice has some officials scratching their heads. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says the issue is being discussed at the state and federal levels...

The fishing magnate known as ``The Codfather'' has pleaded not guilty to a variety of federal charges including lying on catch reports and cash smuggling and has been held on $2 million bail. Carlos Rafael, of Dartmouth, appeared in federal court in Worcester on Thursday to face 27 counts...

The New Bedford City Council will be asked Thursday night to transfer funds to cover the cost of 31 firefighter positions until the end of this fiscal year. The request comes after funding from a federal SAFER grant ran out two months ago...

A New Bedford woman who pleaded guilty to stealing from the Social Security Administration is sentenced to four months in prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office says 49-year-old Lynn Medeiros was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston...

BOSTON (AP) _ A federal judge has approved the sale of dozens of items belonging to Boston gangster James ``Whitey'' Bulger. The move by Judge Denise Casper today allows the U.S. Marshals Service to auction off Bulger's belongings so the proceeds can be divided among the families of his murder and extortion victims...

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says Carlos Seafood will likely be up and running again within a few days, despite the arrest of Carlos Rafael and his bookkeeper last week. Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor, says the business will probably re-open after records that were seized during Friday's federal raid on the processing plant are returned to the company...

For some it's a shock, while others had suspicions confirmed as prominent New Bedford fishing boat owner Carlos Rafael was hauled away in handcuffs by federal officials Friday. Jim Kendall of New Bedford Seafood Consulting was caught off-guard by the accusations that Rafael had lied to the feds about his fishing quotas and sold excess fish to a New York buyer, especially in the midst of heavy over

We are getting varied reports that federal agents are on the scene at Carlos Seafood at South Front St in New Bedford.