federal

BOSTON — A Fall River man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to his role in a heroin and fentanyl trafficking operation in Taunton and surrounding communities. Christian Sostre, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute heroin and fentanyl...

Federal fishing regulators are planning a host of changes to the quota limits of several important New England fish, including cod. New England fishermen search for cod in two key fishing areas, Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. Regulators have enacted a series of cutbacks to the cod quota in those areas in recent years as cod stocks have dwindled...

"The Codfather" has a little longer now before he is sentenced. Carlos Rafael, the fishing magnate who pleaded guilty to a scheme in which he intentionally mislabeled fish in order to avoid federal fishing regulations, was scheduled to be sentenced today in U...

NEW BEDFORD - A New Bedford seafood wholesaler is under federal investigation. A multi-agency raid was conducted late Thursday morning at Lou-Joe's Fresh Seafood on Washburn Street. Members of the IRS Criminal Investigations unit, Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were seen going in and out of the building before noon...

BOSTON – A Wareham man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Boston in connection with trafficking cocaine. Aaron Mott-Frye, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to three years of probation for his role in trafficking nearly $2 million worth of baby eels. Michael Bryant was among a group of people who pleaded guilty to selling or transporting the eels, called elvers, last year...

The owner of a Westport trash company pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Boston in connection with defrauding the operator of the Fall River landfill out of approximately $473,000 in disposal fees. Stephen P. Aguiar, 47, of Westport, pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud...

NEW BEDFORD - Two New Bedford men have pleaded guilty in federal court in connection to a drug ring that covered much of Bristol County and Providence, Rhode Island. The U.S. Attorney's Office says 26-year-old Eric DeSousa pleaded guilty in U...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - A leading U.S. fishing magnate known as "The Codfather" is scheduled to plead guilty to federal charges of evading fishing quotas and smuggling money to Portugal. The U.S. attorney's office says Carlos Rafael has a change of plea hearing scheduled for Thursday...

BOSTON - New Bedford fishing magnate Carlos Rafael is reportedly looking for a deal with the feds.