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ATTLEBORO -- Raynham Police Chief Lou Pacheco charged Tuesday that Bristol County District Attorney Paul Walsh has dismantled a drug task force Pacheco once led.

Pacheco made the charge at a press conference outside Attleboro police headquarters called by Walsh' election opponent, Sam Sutter.

Walsh responded that he still has the task force, although he has changed it since Pacheco was there under former District Attorney Ron Pina.

Pacheco said he quit as head of the task force before Walsh could fire him after Walsh replaced Pina. Walsh said there has been some `` bad blood'' between him and Pacheco since Walsh put his own team in place.

The task force once had 10 to 12 members and drew on local police departments for additional help, Pacheco said. Walsh has reduced it to a few people, he said.

The old task force seized $300 million in drugs, guns, cash and property over a seven-year period, he said.

He said having a large task force in the district attorney's office is important because local police departments are not equipped and trained to deal with the organized-type of crime involved in drug dealing.

Walsh said his office still has a drug task force and still uses police on loan from local departments.

However, he said the emphasis in his office has switched from undercover drug operations to fighting gun violence and gangs.

He said he has moved resources to anti-gang efforts because they depend on a high amount of visibility from police, while drug work is done undercover.

Pacheco and Attleboro Police Detectives Alex Aponte and Russ Castro attended the press conference, saying they support Sutter because of a lack of cooperation by Walsh's office with local police.

Sutter called the press conference to assail Walsh's record on drug crimes.

He said Walsh is too quick to plea bargain cases so that offenders get charged with lesser crimes.

Sutter said he would never plea bargain with major drug dealers. He produced a newspaper advertisement from 1990 in which Walsh made the same pledge. He said he will keep his promise, whereas Walsh broke his almost immediately after taking office.

Walsh noted that Sutter plea bargained cases when he was an assistant district attorney.

He also said plea bargains can be helpful in getting a suspect to become a witness against a higher-level criminal.