A Lowell gang leader got the book thrown at him with a 96-month prison sentence for running a drug trafficking and money laundering operation. Federal court in Boston heard how Virak Prum, also known by names like "Polo" and "Capo", was a head honcho in the One Family Clique gang, which has been linked to a surge in violence and drug activity in Lowell.
In a crackdown that felt long overdue, Prum, 37, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to charges of cocaine distribution and orchestrating a money-laundering conspiracy. His criminal enterprise reportedly included shuttling drugs through the U.S. Postal Service and laundering illicit funds through Canadian casinos. Judge William G. Young decided Prum's fate, adding three years of supervised release after his prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The One Family Clique's reign of terror was marked by at least 12 shooting incidents between 2018 and 2019, believed to be gang-related hostilities. The gang's criminal network spread from Lowell to California and beyond. Alongside drug trafficking, the coterie used stash houses for gang meetings and as venues for further illegalities.
The depths of this gang's depravity were highlighted in the charges against Prum, who played quarterback in a scheme involving the transportation of a supposed 8 million Euros in black market drug proceeds, "protected" from New York to New Hampshire. This truckload of money was just one piece in a puzzle that saw Prum and fourteen others charged, with Prum being the last to plead guilty. One remains at large, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
