BOSTON (AP) – Police and federal agents shut down an international drug trafficking ring, arresting 78 people and seizing hundreds of pounds of heroin in near-simultaneous raids across Colombia and the United States, authorities in the two countries said Wednesday.

Authorities said the ring brought heroin from labs in Colombia to Boston, New York, Chicago and Orlando, Fla. Seventeen people were arrested in Massachusetts, where the ring was selling heroin in Everett and Lynn, authorities said.

The DEA said the smugglers concealed bricks of heroin inside the porcelain frames of paintings. They also allegedly sewed heroin into the lining of clothing and the soles of shoes.

U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan announced the arrests in Massachusetts.

The DEA said 19 people were arrested in Colombia, including the alleged leaders of the drug ring, Alberto Bejarano-Ospina and Gonzalo Salazar-Oliveros. They are charged with distribution of and conspiracy to distribute heroin. They are now subject to extradition to the United States.

During the yearlong investigation, authorities also seized $1.4 million in cash and 20 weapons.