Federal complaints were unsealed involving seven alleged members and associates of the Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates on charges of federal drug trafficking and firearm offenses. The Justice Department reports that this includes individuals such as Lue Andrade, aka "Poncho," 31, of West Bridgewater, and London Cohen, 36, of Randolph, who are both facing charges for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of firearms in connection with drug trafficking.
As part of an ongoing investigation that began back in 2019, more than 20 individuals related to the Harvard Street Gang (HSG) have been charged with similar offenses. Executed search warrants across Boston, Randolph, and nearby communities have uncovered vast amounts of drugs and cash, as well as 15 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts. Underneath the front counter of the store "Banks & Brancos," which was operated by defendant Felipe Jonet-Branco, 31, of Brockton, investigators reportedly found eight firearms, some equipped with large-capacity magazines and a machine gun conversion device, and several empty bottles of promethazine with codeine.
The ramifications of these crimes carry severe federal penalties. Those charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances could face up to 20 years in prison, paired with the possibility of life imprisonment for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. These sentences are dependent on the conclusions reached by a federal district court judge, with guidance from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, along with officials from the FBI Boston Division and the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement. The authorities appreciated the contribution from numerous Massachusetts area police departments and sheriffs' offices, the Department of Correction, district attorneys' offices, and Homeland Security Investigations in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are handling the prosecution. The accused individuals currently remain in detention either under federal or state custody. It is important to note that the charges listed are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts.
