Federal and state officials say they have arrested 15 people and dismantled an international drug trafficking ring. Police say three brothers smuggled in heroin and cocaine from Mexico while living in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Police say brothers from the Dominican Republic – Hector, Claudio, and Juan Valdez – smuggled several shipments of multiple kilograms of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl into Rhode Island from Mexico. All three had been previously convicted of felony drug crimes and deported.
During its investigation an FBI task force seized nearly four kilograms of heroin and one and half kilograms of the deadly opioid fentanyl, among other drugs. Nine of the 15 defendants arrested face deportation, police say.
The news comes just days after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a memo to United States Attorneys asking them to focus on charging and prosecuting undocumented immigrants who profit from drug trafficking.