2 L.A.-Area Men Held in Boston Drug Bust

BOSTON —  Two Los Angeles-area men and one Bostonian were held in lieu of $100,000 bail after the seizure of more than $250,000 worth of cocaine in the Mattapan section, police said.

“It is the largest amount of ‘crack’ I have seen since the drug first appeared in the area,” Detective Sgt. Gil Griffiths said. He described crack as cocaine with a base additive that is compressed to a smokeable hard substance.

Charged with cocaine trafficking and a firearms violation were Charles Farrell, 23, of Boston; Robert Cline, of Culver City, and Kenneth Nelson, 25, of Los Angeles.

Griffiths said officers using a warrant made a forced entry into a home Saturday night.

“We were immediately confronted by two guys holding guns on us,” he said. “We identified ourselves . . . and they put their guns down. I guess they thought they were getting ripped off.”