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RI man tried smuggling 22 pounds of heroin into Canada via kayak. Now he’s heading to prison

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RI man tried smuggling 22 pounds of heroin into Canada via kayak. Now he’s heading to prison



Freddy Rodriguez was planning to use a kayak to rendezvous with a boat on Lake Champlain, according to court records

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  • Freddy Rodriguez, 40, of West Warwick, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for attempting to smuggle heroin into Canada, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.
  • Border Patrol agents apprehended Rodriguez near Lake Champlain as he prepared to kayak 10 kilograms of heroin to a waiting boat, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
  • Rodriguez was caught with the heroin, and his truck, which contained a hidden compartment, was seized, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

BURLINGTON, VT – A Rhode Island man who tried smuggling heroin into Canada via kayak on Lake Champlain was sentenced to 57 months in prison on Monday, July 21, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.

Freddy Rodriguez, 40, of West Warwick, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to export heroin from the United States to Quebec, Canada, in September 2023, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

According to court records, Rodriguez had rented a house near Lake Champlain’s Missisquoi Bay in Highgate, Vermont, about 1½ miles from the border and was planning to deliver 10 kilograms of heroin to a power boat that had motored south from Canada when Border Patrol agents foiled the plan.

At about 12:05 a.m. Sept. 19, 2023, Border Patrol agents were hiding in the brush around a property on Duck Point Road “to observe possible illicit maritime traffic” when they saw a man later identified as Rodriguez “carrying what appeared to be at least one small bag,” Border Patrol Agent Brian Wilda said in an affidavit.

Rodriguez sat down on the beach and appeared to make and receive several phone calls, Wilda wrote.

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Meanwhile, at about 1:45 a.m., the Border Patrol agents received word from their communications dispatch center that a boat had been detected via remote surveillance equipment traveling south on Lake Champlain across the border, Wilda wrote.

The boat continued south until reaching the area where they were watching Rodriguez “and made a sharp turn to the east (toward shore),” although the agents couldn’t see any running lights on the vessel, Wilda wrote.

“As the vessel turned east, agents observed the male subject on the beach remove objects from one bag and place them into another bag,” Wilda wrote. “The male subject then began to drag a kayak from the beach to the water, facing the direction from which the vessel was approaching.”

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That’s when the Border Patrol agents ran from the woods and confronted Rodriquez.

“The subject attempted to abscond by running, but after approximately 40 feet he tripped, fell, and dropped the bag he was carrying,” Wilda wrote. “Agents detained the male subject and seized the bag, walking both back up to the property located above the shoreline.”

“Upon reaching property, the subject was met by additional agents arriving from other vantage points,” Wilda wrote. “I and other agents immediately recognized the detained subject as Freddy Rodriguez, an individual known to us from previous marijuana-smuggling events we had investigated in New Hampshire, in the far eastern portion of the Swanton Sector.”

Laboratory testing later showed that Rodriguez was carrying about 10 kilograms, or more than 22 pounds, of heroin, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

“Based on text messages recovered from Rodriguez’s phone, he appeared to have expected to receive a large quantity of cash and MDMA (ecstasy) in exchange for the controlled substances he was attempting to deliver,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

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Agents also searched and seized Rodriguez’s Ford F150 truck, which was later found to have “a sophisticated locking trap – a void used for secretly transporting large quantities of drugs or currency – under the truck’s rear seats, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Because of poor weather, the agents weren’t able to stop the boat.

Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also sentenced Rodriguez to three years of supervised release after his prison term.



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Rhode Island

Ethics Commission denies Shekarchi’s motion to dismiss high court bid ethics complaint

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Ethics Commission denies Shekarchi’s motion to dismiss high court bid ethics complaint


Former Rhode Island House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi loses an attempt to stop an ethics complaint against his bid for a seat on the state Supreme Court.

The state Ethics Commission voted Tuesday to deny Shekarchi’s motion to dismiss the complaint filed in May.

The Ethics Commission voted June 2 to further investigate the complaint.

The question is whether Shekarchi’s attempt for a lifetime spot on the bench violates Rhode Island’s anti-corruption revolving door law.

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The law prevents sitting lawmakers from taking most other state jobs for at least a year after leaving office.

Shekarchi resigned as House Speaker on May 8 to seek nomination to the Supreme Court.

He kept his House seat.

That same day, Roger Williams University law professor Michael Yelnosky filed an ethics complaint.

Shekarchi argues a Supreme Court seat is an exemption from the revolving door law, like other constitutional offices including governor.

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The Ethics Commission’s prosecutor argues the high court seat is not exempt.



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RI Lottery Powerball, Numbers Midday winning numbers for June 22, 2026

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The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 22, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from June 22 drawing

17-19-21-45-48, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Numbers numbers from June 22 drawing

Midday: 7-0-8-0

Evening: 0-0-6-8

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from June 22 drawing

03-19-29-33-38, Extra: 18

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 22 drawing

07-08-20-24-42, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
  • Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
  • Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
  • Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
  • Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Pawtucket set to build hundreds of housing units as the next phase of the Tidewater Landing development begins – The Boston Globe

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Pawtucket set to build hundreds of housing units as the next phase of the Tidewater Landing development begins – The Boston Globe


“Many people said it wouldn’t be done or couldn’t be done, and today we are here not only to say it’s getting done, but the funding is secure, and the construction of this infrastructure will begin within the next two months,” Grebien said.

Grebien anticipates the eastern side of the development will be fully built within three to four years, he said.

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The work marks a step forward for the project, which had been burdened by persistent inflation in recent years. Rising costs led to a higher price tag than initially anticipated for the complex’s soccer and live entertainment stadium, the project’s first phase. The project relied on public bonds that are set to cost taxpayers more than $130 million over the next three decades.

State officials had originally said its financial support would pay for the stadium and other work around it, but with the difficult economic climate, the state later shifted nearly all of its financial backing to the stadium itself. Still, developer Fortuitous Partners has long said it will see through the rest of the public-private partnership, including hundreds of units of new housing.

“We’ve worked very hard over the last couple years to smooth over obstacles big and small to get us here,” Pawtucket City Council President Terrence Mercer said.

The next phase of the development will focus on a more than 10-acre swath of land along the eastern shore of the Seekonk River, across the water from the stadium, Grebien said. There, development firm Pennrose plans to construct more than 70 units of affordable housing, while Wood Partners plans to build 325 market-rate units, he said.

“The financial stack is there,” Grebien said. “They’re ready to move …. They needed to see the stadium first to make sure it was that successful.”

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A rendering of a 325-unit housing development by Wood Partners expected as part of the Tidewater Landing development in Pawtucket, R.I.Christopher Gavin/Globe Staff

The stadium has welcomed nearly 250,000 people since it opened in spring 2025, according to Dan Kroeber, managing partner at Fortuitous Partners.

“The evolution of this city, the evolution of Tidewater Landing is really just beginning,” Kroeber said.

For now, the city will build out stormwater infrastructure for that area, as well as “new sections of the public riverwalk, landscaping, lighting, and expanded public recreation spaces,” officials said. Pawtucket will also build a pedestrian bridge to link the development across the river.

“You’ve got the Seekonk River being activated, public and private investment, bringing new pedestrian connections, open space, and critical infrastructure down here — all the ingredients that we need to create a great neighborhood in this area,” said Quinlan Locke, vice president of development at Wood Partners.

According to Grebien, additional housing on the western side of the river, in what is now an unpaved parking lot just north of the stadium, will be built in a future phase. He said about 300 additional units are anticipated on that side of the river.

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“Over the next four to five years, you’ll start seeing development on this side, if not sooner, because I think the market will push it,” he said.


Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.





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