Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration said Wednesday that 27 people were arrested in Franklin, New Hampshire, in a sweeping narcotics bust that seized fentanyl and methamphetamine tied to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

Investigators said the supply chain traced back through Lawrence, Massachusetts, a city long identified as a fentanyl hub for New England.

Investigators display cash seized during a DEA raid in Franklin, N.H., targeting cartel-linked fentanyl distribution on Aug. 27, 2025. (@DEANEWENGLAND via X)

The Sinaloa Cartel has long dominated the fentanyl trade into the U.S., according to federal officials, and Lawrence has repeatedly been flagged as a key distribution point. Fentanyl remains the nation’s leading cause of overdose deaths, with more than 70,000 fatalities a year, CDC data show.