More than 30 members of a notorious Boston street gang were raided and charged with violent crimes amid a major federal operation to dismantle it after almost three decades of terror across the city.
A total of 31 members and associates of the Dorchester-based NOB gang are facing federal charges after authorities carried out several overnight raids to ‘take the most violent members of that gang off the street’, US Attorney Andrew Lelling announced Tuesday.
NOB – which stands for Norton, Olney and Barry streets – is associated with the Wendover Street gang and has been embroiled in ‘violent feuds’ with the rival Cameron Street gang for decades, authorities said.
NOB gang members face charges including sex trafficking, murder, armed robbery, armed assault, witness intimidation, firearms crimes and drug trafficking.
Authorities said one of the sex trafficking victims was a 16-year-old girl, while firearms uncovered during the arrests have been tied to a 2016 shooting incident at UMass Dartmouth as well as eight other shootings.
More than 30 members of a notorious Boston street gang were raided and charged with violent crimes amid a major federal operation to dismantle it after almost three decades of terror across the city, authorities announced in a press conference Tuesday (above)
The major clean-up was announced in a press conference at the Boston federal courthouse Tuesday and follows an investigation across local, state and federal agencies which began back in summer 2019.
‘Today’s operation was intended to dismantle the NOB gang, and take the most violent members of that gang off the street,’ Lelling said.
Fifteen gang members were arrested early Tuesday, 11 were already in state custody and now face federal charges, and six are fugitives with federal warrants out for their arrests.
The raids took place across Boston, Lynn, Everett, Fall River and other towns and there are 11 search warrants being carried out in Boston, Weymouth, Brockton, Everett, Attleboro, Fall River and Providence, Rhode Island.
More than 20 firearms have so far been seized, including an AK-47.
One suspect, Michael Brandao, is accused of murder and attempting to commit murder as a juvenile and drug trafficking as an adult, according to the complaint.
More than 20 firearms have so far been seized with some pictured above. A total of 31 members and associates of the Dorchester-based NOB gang are facing federal charges
Lelling said Brandao has also produced rap videos openly talking about shootings and murders on behalf of the gang.
Other suspects detailed in the complaint include Kevin Barros, Ricky Pina, David Rodriquez, Wilson Goncalves-Mendes, Joshua Teixeira, Joseph Gomes, Alidio Barbosa, Samael Mathieu, Moses Cabral, Delven Carvalho-Centeio, Darius Bass, Damian Cortez, Anton Lopes and Brian Cardoso.
Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross said at the press conference the gang ‘has been terrorizing the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury and also neighborhoods in the Commonwealth and outside for years, almost three decades.’
He added that he doesn’t expect the suspects to be back out on the streets anytime soon.
Authorities carried out several overnight raids to ‘take the most violent members of that gang off the street’, US Attorney Andrew Lelling announced Tuesday (above)
‘I don’t expect to see these individuals out on the street the next day wearing a bracelet,’ Gross said.
Gross heralded it ‘a great day’ at a time of ‘anti-police sentiment’.
‘We have your back, even in a time of anti-police sentiment,’ Gross told the community.
‘We will do our jobs… We know the good folks in the community have our backs too.’
FBI Special Agent Joseph R. Bonavolonta said the arrests were the outcome of a ‘meticulous yearlong investigation’ that ‘dealt a crippling blow to what is one of the city’s most brazen and violent gangs.’
He blasted the suspects for engaging in ‘a ruthless and senseless string of attacks and murders’ and for ‘terrorizing the communities in which they operated all across the state’.
‘Today we saw that organized crime is no match for law enforcement,’ he added.
Boston Police Commissioner William G. Gross (above) said at the press conference the gang ‘has been terrorizing the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury and also neighborhoods in the Commonwealth and outside for years, almost three decades.’
Bonavolonta added that some suspects had committed crimes stretching from Maine to Connecticut to Rhode Island and that they tried to gain respect ‘by shooting and murdering their rivals.’
Twenty members and associates have been charged with crimes including racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, crossing state lines for the purpose of prostitution, firearms charges and bank fraud.
Two associates were charged with drug trafficking and gun violations, and the remaining nine with conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl.