On Thursday, September 4, 2025, at approximately 10:35 AM, members of the District E-13 (Jamaica Plain) Detectives, assisted by the E-13 Drug Control Unit and the B-3 (Mattapan) Anti-Crime Unit, executed a Dorchester District Court Search Warrant at 567B Norfolk Street in Mattapan.
Upon arrival, officers knocked and announced their presence. When no response was received, entry was made through an open rear door. Contact was established with the tenants, who were provided copies of the search warrants. Detectives explained the scope and purpose of the warrants, and the tenants acknowledged understanding.
During a protective sweep of the apartment and garage, officers encountered 25-year-old Cornelius Brown-Bell, of Mattapan, in the rear portion of the garage near the boiler room. While interacting with detectives, Brown-Bell attempted to access an area near the boiler room, raising concern.
A search of the garage uncovered a gray tote box containing a Glock 31 .357 caliber firearm with an illegal conversion switch, rendering it fully automatic. The weapon was loaded with an extended magazine containing twenty-three rounds, plus one in the chamber. A second firearm, a Ruger EC9S 9mm with six live rounds, was also recovered.
Next to the firearms, inside a black Louis Vuitton bag, detectives located multiple narcotics packaged for distribution, including thirty smaller bags of crack cocaine, six bags of fentanyl, and a total of 840 grams of Class B substances. Officers also recovered mail in the name of Brown-Bell, a digital scale from a vehicle in the garage, and observed multiple stolen dirt bikes and scooters in plain view. The stolen vehicles were referred to the Boston Police Auto Theft Task Force.
Brown-Bell was placed under arrest and is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on the following charges:
- Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Machine Gun
- Possession of a Large-Capacity Firearm
- Two counts of Possession of Ammunition Without an FID Card
- Possession of a Firearm Without a License
- Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class A Substance
- Possession with Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance