Twenty Five Arrested On Charges Of Running Heroin Ring

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that 25 individuals were indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in connection with a heroin trafficking ring operating in southeastern Massachusetts.

Among those arrested were Fall River residents 39-year-old Dedwin Cruz-Rivera and 21-year-old Christian Sostre and New Bedford resident 31-year-old Cory S. Nickerson.

They were charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including heroin and fentanyl.

Officials say the indictments and arrests were the result of a 15-month investigation that included court-authorized wiretaps and the execution of six search warrants.

As a result of that investigation it was concluded that Cruz-Rivera had obtained heroin and fentanyl from multiple wholesale suppliers and, if convicted, he could face up to a lifetime in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says the investigation was a joint effort which included the DEA’s Cape Cod Task Force; the Massachusetts State Police; the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department; as well as the Barnstable, Fall River, Attleboro, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Berkley, Raynham and Providence Police Departments, along with other law enforcement agencies.