Advertisement Northern, western Massachusetts major sources of New Hampshire’s heroin-fentanyl supply, top officials say State's attorney general, U.S. attorney comment on drug crisis following dust-up between Sununu, Lawrence mayor Share Shares Copy Link Copy

New Hampshire’s attorney general and U.S. attorney said Friday it is well-known in the state’s law enforcement community that northern and western Massachusetts are major sources of the heroin and fentanyl brought to the Granite State. Attorney General Joseph Foster and U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice commented on the sources of New Hampshire’s illegal drugs in separate interviews after Gov. Chris Sununu contended earlier this week that 85 percent of the fentanyl in the state is coming directly from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Foster told WMUR.com that during his four years in the post, he has gathered information from discussions with other federal, state and local law enforcement officials that makes it clear that the vast majority of heroin and fentanyl in the eastern part of New Hampshire comes from “the greater Lawrence area.” But he said the major source of western New Hampshire’s drug supply is New York City, via Springfield, Massachusetts – and not Lawrence. Rice declined to discuss specifics or percentages, but she said, “There are many sources. It is certainly true that a lot of the products interdicted that forms the basis of prosecution by this office come up from northern Massachusetts. But we are interested in stopping the trade regardless of where it is coming from.” Sununu sparked harsh pushback from Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera by saying at a meeting of business leaders on Wednesday: “It’s coming from Lawrence. Eighty-five percent of the fentanyl in this state is coming straight out of Lawrence, Massachusetts.” “I would not be surprised if that number is accurate,” Foster said. “If you talk to law enforcement, they will tell you that the major source of the problem is the greater Lawrence area for the eastern part of our state, and in the western part of the state, it is New York City and Springfield (Massachusetts), coming up (Interstate) 91.” Rivera on Thursday held a news conference to respond to Sununu, saying while it is true that Lawrence has a drug problem, it is a regional and national crisis. But Rivera also said he did not believe Sununu’s number and urged reporters to ask the governor’s office for his sources. Sununu’s office at first refused to name the source of his 85 percent figure, but Thursday night, he told WMUR that his number came from law enforcement officials. He did not name the officials or agencies. After Rivera criticized Sununu at his news conference -- asking at one point, “What does he know?” about Lawrence -- the two had a telephone conversation and later issued conciliatory statements in which they said they agreed to work together on the region’s opioid crisis. Sununu said Lawrence officials are doing a “good job” battling the epidemic. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker also fired back at Sununu, saying in Boston on Thursday, “I don’t think it’s helpful to be pointing fingers. I think we should work on this stuff together.” “My point is there are a lot of different paths that illegal drugs travel all over this country and up the eastern seaboard and a lot of different directions they come from,” Baker said. Foster, a Democrat who was appointed by former Gov. Maggie Hassan, is expected to be leaving his post when his four-year term ends on March 31. Sununu is expected to nominate his own choice to serve in the key post. Rice was nominated as U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire by former President Barack Obama in October 2015 and was sworn into office in January 2016. “It is not new that the Lawrence area is a major source of fentanyl and heroin that makes its way into New Hampshire,” Foster said. “Law enforcement in Massachusetts has been working on it and doing what they can, but it is a difficult problem.” He said that law enforcement officials in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, including greater Lawrence, “coordinate and collaborate and work together to deal with the problem.” He said he has met with Lawrence Police Chief James Fitzpatrick to talk about the issue. “We have to deal with it on the supply side, but ultimately, it needs to be solved on the demand side,” Foster said. “If people want the drugs, drugs will find their way to them.” Rice agreed. “Law enforcement is just one aspect of this crisis,” she said. “It takes many approaches from many stakeholders, and the prevention piece is critical. If you can get us out of the business of prosecution and put drug dealers out of business, it would be great.” Sununu is not the first New England governor to spark a backlash from Rivera by pointing at Lawrence as the chief source of heroin and fentanyl. Maine Gov. Paul LePage in August said that in his state, “Meth lab arrests are white. They’re Mainers. The heroin-fentanyl arrests are not white people. They’re Hispanics and they’re black and they’re from Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts; Waterbury, Connecticut; the Bronx and Brooklyn.” Lawrence and Lowell have long been identified by law enforcement as the source of much of the heroin in New Hampshire. As far back as 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice’s New Hampshire Drug Threat Assessment report said that drug users in the southeastern part of the Granite State travel to Lowell, Lawrence and Boston “to acquire multiple bags of heroin for personal use and for distribution. Users in Keene typically travel to Springfield, Massachusetts, to obtain heroin.” The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s 2014 National Drug Threat Assessment included a map showing that drugs from New York City are brought to cities in Massachusetts, including Lawrence, Lowell and Springfield. The map shows that dealers from New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine go to those cities to pick them up.