FEDERAL AND STATE CHARGES RESULT FROM BOSTON POLICE AND DEA\’S MOBILE ENFORCEMENT TEAM FOCUS ON BOSTON GANG\’S DRUG ACTIVITIESUnited States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Edward Davis, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department; June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Glenn N. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in New England; and Daniel Conley, Suffolk County District Attorney, announced today federal and state drug charges against twenty-one individuals (eleven federal and ten state) from the Boston area.
Today’s charges are the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Special Investigations Unit and the Drug Control Unit of the Boston Police Department and the DEA’s Mobile Enforcement Team (“MET”) working in cooperation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives since the summer of 2006 with a focus on drug distribution, particularly among gangs, in Boston.
“Today’s charges are a result of our continuing collaboration with the Boston Police, Suffolk County District Attorney and our federal partners,” stated U.S. Attorney Sullivan. “We remain committed to bringing federal resources to bear on community crime problems, particularly in the area of gangs, guns and drugs so that our neighborhood streets are safe for all law abiding citizens.”
“DEA is committed to work against drug dealing which holds our neighborhoods hostage – our citizens deserve better,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Stansbury. “Together with our law enforcement partners we deployed with the mission to help bring stability and peace back to these communities by removing drug peddlers, whose tumultuous endeavors always take from a community.”
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis stated, “As Mayor Thomas Menino declared last evening in his State of the City address, we will continue to utilize every lever available to combat violent behavior on city streets. This effort is a result of investigators specifically targeting those known to be participating in violent behavior including gun activity.” Commissioner Davis added, “This investigation is a great example of the powerful impact cooperative law enforcement can have on protecting the quality of life for city residents and purging violent offenders from our community.”
Of the eleven federal defendants, six were arrested this morning. Two defendants were already in custody on unrelated charges. All those arrested will appear in federal court later today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Law enforcement personnel are seeking the arrests of the remaining three federal defendants.
All of the federal defendants are charged with one or more counts of distributing crack cocaine in Boston. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty for distribution of crack cocaine is 20 years in prison, to be followed by at least 3 years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
“The individuals taken off the streets today are believed to be players in a drug trade that threatens the health and safety of residents across Boston and the Commonwealth,” commented Suffolk County District Attorney Conley. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Boston Police Department are invaluable allies in our daily effort to interdict their deadly stock in trade, and we thank them for their aid and assistance in bringing these defendants to justice.”
Six of the ten state defendants were also arrested today on drug charges. Three of the state defendants are juveniles. Two of the defendants, including one of the juveniles, were already in custody on unrelated charges. Law enforcement personnel are seeking the arrests of the remaining two state defendants.
The Mobile Enforcement Team program was created by the DEA in early 1995 to assist local law enforcement in responding to the overwhelming problem of drug-related crime that plagues neighborhoods and communities throughout the United States. The challenges facing law enforcement today are daunting. The increasing sophistication of drug-trafficking organizations make drug law enforcement more difficult than ever before. The MET program helps local law enforcement entities attack drug organizations in their neighborhoods and restores a safer environment for the residents of these communities.
MET Agents assist local law enforcement officers in the following ways:
-Identifying major drug traffickers and organizations.
-Collecting, analyzing, and sharing intelligence with state and local counterparts.
-Cultivating investigations against drug offenders and gangs.
-Arresting drug traffickers.
-Seizing the assets of drug offenders and gangs.
-Providing support to federal, state, and local prosecutors.
Local police chiefs, county sheriffs, and state and local prosecutors who feel that there is a need for MET assistance in their jurisdiction can submit a written request to the DEA Special Agent in Charge responsible for their particular area. Upon acceptance of a request, the MET in that jurisdiction sends a pre-deployment assessment team consisting of two to three agents to meet with the requesting official and other cooperating local law enforcement agencies in order to evaluate the problem. Upon approval, the entire MET is deployed to that city to begin investigative activity against the primary drug trafficking individuals and organizations identified in the pre-deployment assessment.
The investigations were conducted by the Special Investigation Unit, the Youth Violence Strike Force and the Drug Control Unit of the Boston Police Department; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Mobile Enforcement Team; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Sullivan’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit. The state cases are being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys in Suffolk County District Attorney Conley’s Office.
The details contained in the Indictments and Complaints are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Press Contacts: Samantha Martin, U.S. Attorney’s Office, (617) 748-3139
Jake Wark, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, (617) 619-4206
Federal Defendants (all were arrested today unless otherwise indicated):
Indictment #1:
1. KELLY SMOAK, age 34, of Boston. – Charged with 5 counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. Arrest is still being sought.
2. GERALD SCOTT, age 36, of Boston. – Charged with 1 count of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. Arrest is still being sought.
3. FERNANDO PHILLIPS, of Boston. – Charged with 1 count of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. Arrest is still being sought.
4. JEAN JANVIER, age 21, of Boston. – Charged with 2 counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. Defendant is already in custody on unrelated charges.
Indictment #2:
1. KELLY WALKER, age 24, of Boston. – Charged with 1 count of Distribution of Crack Cocaine.
Indictment #3:
1. JOHN WEBBE, age 29, of Boston. – Charged with 2 counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine.
Indictment #4:
1. NICHOLAS OTEY, age 19, of Boston. – Charged with 3 counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. Defendant is already in custody on unrelated charges.
Indictment #5:
1. MELVIN GREEN, age 19, of Boston. – Charged with 6 counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine; and one count of Aiding and Abetting.
Indictment #6:
1. ANTHONY JOHNSON, age 24, of Boston. – Charged with 2 counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine.
Complaint #1:
1. CHRISTOPHER BRYANT, age 35, of Boston. – Charged with Distribution of Crack Cocaine.
Complaint #2:
1. GARY WALLACE, age 19, of Boston. – Charged with Distribution of Crack Cocaine.
State Defendants (all were arrested today unless otherwise indicated):
1. KYLE ALSTON, age 21, of Boston. Arrest is still being sought.
2. VICTOR FIGUEROA, age 30, of Boston. Arrest is still being sought.
3. JAY KELLEY, age 18, of Boston.
4. DONALD MING, age 38, of Boston.
5. RICHARD POWELL, age 54, of Boston.
6. ODIS TASTE, age 21, of Boston. Defendant is already in custody on unrelated charges.
7. SHA-KING YOUNG, age 18, of Boston.
8. Juvenile #1. Defendant is already in custody on unrelated charges.
9. Juvenile #2
10. Juvenile #3
