District of Massachusetts | Violent gang member pleads guilty to racketeering, drug trafficking

BOSTON – A Boston area man pleaded guilty today for his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.

Devante Lopes, aka “D-Lopes,” 30, of Boston and Quincy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise (more commonly known as RICO or racketeering conspiracy); conspiracy to distribute marijuana; and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Senior United States District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for October 3, 2024.

According to court documents, the Cameron Street gang is a violent criminal enterprise whose members and associates are involved in a variety of criminal activities – including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, carjacking, violation of home, human trafficking, as well as drug and firearms trafficking. trafficking, among other crimes – in and around the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. It is alleged that Cameron Street members use violence against rival gangs and witnesses, usually using firearms, to maintain and enhance their status and the gang's overall reputation, as well as to protect power, reputation and territory of the gang. Members engaged in drug trafficking activities and distributed kilograms of cocaine, cocaine base (crack), oxycodone, and marijuana throughout Massachusetts. During the investigation, 21 firearms and hundreds of cartridges were reportedly seized from 11 of the accused.

Lopes was identified by several cooperating witnesses as a member of Cameron Street. From 2019 to 2020, Lopes regularly received large quantities of marijuana from California, for which he shipped packages containing between $40,000 and $50,000 in cash in exchange.

During a search of Lopes' home in April 2022, 800 grams of cocaine were seized from a bench near his bed. During the search, two hidden compartments were also discovered in Lopes' apartment, including one hidden inside a shelf containing approximately $5,000 in cash, a box of ammunition and foam cutouts for a weapon fire. The second hidden compartment was found inside a mirror and contained a foam insert.

The charges of RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by force or violence each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute cocaine carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of one million bucks. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on U.S. sentencing guidelines and laws that govern sentencing in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; United States Postal Inspection Service; Suffolk County Sheriff's Office; the Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorneys' Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth and Pawtucket (RI) police departments. Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Charles Dell'Anno of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

This operation is part of a Strike Force initiative of the Drug and Organized Crime Task Forces (OCDETF), which provides for the creation of permanent multi-agency task forces that work side by side at the same place. This co-located model allows agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the world's largest drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations. The OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at

The details in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.