JOHNSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Thousands of dollars’ worth of drugs and guns are now off the streets after a major bust by Rhode Island State Police.

Six people were arrested this week in connection to a high-level trafficking network throughout the Ocean State.

Johnston residents reacted to the major bust in their neighborhood.

“I’m shocked, I’m shocked,” Marcia Masse, a longtime Johnston resident said. “I didn’t think that kind of thing was around here.”

NBC 10 cameras captured local and state police conducting a search warrant on Shore Drive in connection to what police are calling a high-level narcotics and firearms distribution network.

Across the state, members of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force discovered $70,000 in cash, and thousands of dollars’ worth of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Investigators also seized two pistols and two semi-automatic assault rifles.

“It makes me a little uncomfortable. I didn’t think I’d ever leave her but makes me scratch my head and wonder – do I need to go somewhere else?” Masse said.

The Rhode Island State Police said all suspects were charged as co-defendants in a criminal conspiracy.

Hamlet Lopez was one of six to be arrested, who is a neighbor to those on Shore Drive.

Residents told NBC 10 he moved in two or three years ago.

He was known around town for throwing loud parties but nothing out of the ordinary.

“They had parties, birthday parties or whatever but nothing like you would expect to see,” Katherine Tata said. “It’s like you don’t know who your neighbors are. You never know.”

The neighbors are hoping to restore peace to their typically quiet community.

“It doesn’t make me feel safer that they got caught. just that it happened here is not really a comforting thing,” Masse said.

All of the suspects were arraigned this week and held without bail.

RHODE ISLAND — Here are some share-worthy stories from the Rhode Island Patch network to discuss this afternoon and evening.

This post features stories and information published in the last 72 hours.

Thank you for reading Patch.com in Rhode Island.

Here are some more Rhode Island Patch headlines you may have missed:

Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.

Is seeing the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, on your bucket list? This could be a chance to check it off your list without leaving Rhode Island.

From Friday night to early Saturday morning, the Aurora Borealis will potentially be visible over the northern United States, possibly reaching as far as Virginia, Missouri, Colorado.

Though a rare occurrence overall, this is the second year in a row that the northern lights have come south. An April 2023, they were visible all the way to Arizona.

While the prediction say they are likely to be visible in the Ocean State, AccuWeather’s forecast says the viewing conditions may be poor because of cloud cover. But the show might return again on Saturday night, when conditions might be better.

What is the Aurora Borealis?

The phenomenon of the northern lights is caused by massive clouds of charged particles released by the sun toward the Earth, events known as coronal mass ejections. Upon impact with the Earth’s magnetic field, these particles interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to ignite the aurora borealis over the Northern Hemisphere, usually over Canada.

Situations such as this one result from larger coronal mass ejections, which can mean the lights will spark over larger portions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Best places to see the Northern Lights 2024

Barring cloud cover, which could be an issue for viewers in the Northeast, for best results it’s recommended to travel somewhere with as little light pollution as possible and look to the northern horizon.

“I personally have seen them five times, the best in 2003,” Francine Jackson, staff astronomer at Brown University’s Ladd Observatory said last July. “The best way to see them here has to be a place with a good northern horizon, with as little light pollution as possible.”

If you’re trying to see the lights, she recommended finding a north-facing beach.

Even if you don’t get the best view on Friday, if the coronal mass ejections continue at their present level, the northern lights could still be visible here on Saturday night as well.