DULUTH, Minn. — Formal charges could be filed Thursday against nearly two dozen people arrested for trafficking heroin in the Twin Ports.

Northeastern Minnesota law enforcement officers say they’ve seen a dramatic increase in the amount of heroin being sold in the region. The Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force says it’s been planning the sweep for six months. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Marshals Service also participated.

Task force member Sgt. Rodney Wilson tells the Duluth News Tribune (http://bit.ly/LAmuOY ) that heroin is not just a problem in the Twin Ports, but statewide. Sheriffs in the Twin Cities area recently issued a public plea for help in combating the growing heroin problem. There were 46 heroin-related deaths in Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey counties last year, compared with 16 in 2010.