A multi-agency crackdown led by Everett’s Special Criminal Investigations Unit ended with 24 arrests across Everett and nearby cities on Friday in what police dubbed "Operation Spring Clean Up." Officers focused on the Hancock Street corridor, saying they were zeroing in on drug activity, overdoses, public drinking, trespassing and people wanted on outstanding warrants. Investigators also served search warrants in Everett, Boston, Malden and Medford as they pursued both street-level suspects and cases that had been built through longer undercover work.
The sweep lands as fentanyl and stimulant use continue to drive overdose deaths across Massachusetts, with recent state dashboards showing fentanyl present in a large proportion of opioid-related fatalities. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, substance-related deaths and the presence of fentanyl in seized and tested drug supplies remain major concerns for local public-safety officials.
Operation details from police
Everett Police said the Special Criminal Investigations Unit worked alongside officers from Medford, Malden and Boston police departments and the Massachusetts State Police. Detectives described a mix of street-level enforcement and long-term undercover operations, with multiple search warrants executed across several jurisdictions. The department’s post also spotlighted K-9 assistance. Everett K-9 handler Officer Rizza and K-9 Cooper helped the Boston Police Drug Control Unit take a suspect into custody and uncover a local drug stash, according to the Everett Police Department.
Arrests and charges
Police reported 24 arrests, a mix of people wanted on outstanding warrants and alleged drug distributors picked up during undercover buys and traffic stops. The department identified Isaiah Blaise, who was arrested in Everett on warrants and on a possession-of-fentanyl charge, and Yeuri Lara-Tejeda, who was taken into custody in Boston on felony fentanyl-trafficking warrants and was found with 15 bags packaged for distribution. Antwan Ramos was charged in Everett with multiple counts tied to crack distribution, while Medford police charged Christian Alfaro with cocaine distribution and possession with intent to distribute. “This kind of work takes consistency and collaboration,” Mayor Robert Van Campen said in the department’s post, which also noted that one person was placed into treatment under Section 35, according to the Everett Police Department.
What Section 35 means
One person was routed into court-ordered treatment through Section 35, a civil-commitment process that lets judges order involuntary treatment when there is clear and convincing evidence of a substance-use disorder and a likelihood of serious harm. As outlined by Mass.gov, Section 35 is intended as a last resort when less restrictive treatment options are not available, and it triggers a short court process that can result in placement at a licensed treatment facility.
What’s next
Everett police said they plan to keep working with property managers at 19 Hancock Street while the new cases move through local courts and housing channels. Prosecutors and public-health officials often stress that enforcement is only one piece of a broader response that also leans on treatment and harm-reduction services. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office runs opioid-focused initiatives that try to pair prosecution with treatment and outreach, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
