Prosecutors: Thousands Of Cases Are Impacted By Farak Lab Misconduct

Prosecutors say they've identified thousands of cases impacted by a former Massachusetts chemist who authorities say was high almost every day she worked at a state drug lab for eight years.

Assistant Hampden County District Attorney Bethany Lynch told a justice on Massachusetts' highest court Tuesday that the office has identified about 4,300 cases connected to evidence tested by Sonja Farak, who pleaded guilty in 2014 of stealing drugs and tampering with evidence at the lab.

Lynch says her office is deciding which cases it will agree to dismiss and which it wants to retry.

Officials from Berkshire, Middlesex, Northwestern and Worcester district attorney's offices said they've found another roughly 2,000 Farak cases combined.

The ACLU of Massachusetts and state public defender agency want the court to dismiss all the cases.