On March 5, 2026, a Brockton man at the center of a major drug and gun case was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after prosecutors said searches turned up kilograms of suspected fentanyl and firearms converted to operate as machine guns. Joshua Tavares, 29, will also serve five years of supervised release after his prison term.
What prosecutors say
Tavares pleaded guilty in May 2025 to three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue, admitting to six controlled sales between September and November 2024 that totaled roughly 549 grams of fentanyl analogue. After those controlled purchases, investigators executed search warrants on Dec. 3, 2024 at multiple residences and stash houses, recovering about four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, quantities of cocaine, packaging materials and more than $89,000 in cash. Law enforcement also recovered multiple firearms, including a .40-caliber Glock and a 9mm Glock fitted with a machine-gun conversion device and an extended 50-round drum magazine, which prosecutors say were found in locations tied to the defendant. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.
Ties to a long-running gang probe
Tavares was identified as a member of the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang (HSG), and court papers tie his case to a broader federal investigation that began in 2019. Prosecutors and court documents say HSG activity has resulted in the seizure of more than 100 kilograms of drugs and over 45 firearms, including multiple machine guns, and that several members have already received lengthy federal sentences. Federal complaints unsealed in February 2026 named multiple HSG members and described stash-house searches across Brockton, Randolph and other communities, as reported by Boston.com.
Legal penalties and sentencing
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, while gun counts tied to drug trafficking can add consecutive terms and substantial fines. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy imposed the 12-year term and five years of supervised release after hearing prosecutors’ account of the controlled buys and the December seizures, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors and next steps
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit, with investigative assistance credited to the FBI’s Boston Division, the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton Police Department. Hoodline covered Tavares’s guilty plea in May 2025 and the earlier details of the controlled buys and the Dec. 3, 2024 raids in its prior reporting, according to Hoodline.
