BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in federal court in Boston for heroin trafficking.

Ozair Pereira, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In May 2019, Pereira pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

During an investigation in the fall of 2018, agents intercepted telephone calls between Djuna Goncalves and multiple individuals, including Pereira, which revealed that Goncalves allegedly worked with others to distribute large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana from a base of operations at 12 Addison Avenue in Brockton. During the intercepted calls, Pereira ordered heroin from Goncalves, and agents observed Goncalves deliver the drugs to Pereira in Brockton. 

Periera was indicted, along with Goncalves, and eight other defendants on Dec. 12, 2018, in a wide ranging drug conspiracy. Periera is the second defendant in this case to be sentenced.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintended of the Massachusetts State Police; Brockton Police Chief John Crowley; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea Porter of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019, for trafficking in cocaine while on supervised release from an earlier federal drug trafficking conviction.

Angelo Pina, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 15 months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release. Judge Casper ordered that the sentence be served consecutive to a 21-month prison sentence imposed on Sept. 4, 2019, by Judge Nathaniel Gorton for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.  

During an investigation in September and October 2018, federal agents intercepted telephone calls between Pina and Djuna Goncalves, which revealed that Goncalves worked with others to distribute large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana from a base of operations at 12 Addison Avenue in Brockton.

During the intercepted calls, Pina ordered cocaine from Goncalves, and agents later observed Pina pick up cocaine from Goncalves the Brockton location. At the time, Pina was on supervised release from a 2017 federal conviction for distribution of fentanyl, and, in fact, first contacted Goncalves by phone while he was incarcerated.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintended of the Massachusetts State Police; Brockton Police Chief John Crowley; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea Porter of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – Ten individuals, most of whom are from Brockton, were charged today in federal court in Boston in a wide-ranging fentanyl and cocaine conspiracy.

Seven individuals were arrested today, two are currently in state custody, and one is at-large. The following 10 individuals were charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine:

Djuna Goncalves, 32, of Brockton, currently in state custody;

Cody Goncalves, 26, of Brockton, currently in state custody;

Anthony Goncalves, 20, of Brockton, currently at-large;

Angelo Pina, 27, of Brockton;

Calvin Mendes, 40, of Brockton;

Carlos Antunes, 33, of Brockton;

Jermaine Gonsalves, 32, of Brockton;

Ozair Pereira, 30, of Brockton;

Joseph Greene, 21, of Taunton; and

Brian Donahue, 38, of Truro

“This morning’s arrests should remind all gang members and drug traffickers that they cannot operate freely in this state,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Over the past year, in conjunction with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we have removed dozens of violent criminals from our communities, and we will continue to do so.”

“Today’s operation illustrates Homeland Security Investigations’ commitment to public safety and highlights our unrelenting pursuit of justice,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston. “Through successful partnerships with the Massachusetts State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration and Brockton Police Department, we have dealt a severe blow to a violent drug trafficking organization here in the commonwealth.”

“DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling violent poly drug trafficking organizations like this one operating in the Brockton area,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “As we all know, drug trafficking, along with the gun and physical violence that often accompanies it, is a serious threat to our families and our communities. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, state and federal law enforcement efforts in Massachusetts to bring to justice anyone who engages in these crimes.”

“We are proud to work with our federal and local law enforcement partners to help dismantle this significant drug trafficking organization,” said Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent, Massachusetts State Police. “I would like to especially note the work in this investigation of our regional narcotics task force, which was established last year as part of our new State Police Division of Homeland Security. We remain committed to disrupting drug trafficking in Plymouth County and across the state and quelling the street violence associated with the narcotics trade.”

“Operation Red Heat dismantled a large scale Fentanyl distribution ring making its home base on Addison Avenue, but with a trafficking reach far outside of Brockton’s borders,” said Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz. “I commend the work of Massachusetts State Police CINRET, Detectives in the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security, DEA and Brockton Police to take five guns and a half kilo of Fentanyl off the street. Their diligent police work quieted the drug activity in a Brockton neighborhood and made much of Plymouth County safer today.”

“This is another example of the ongoing efforts of the Brockton Police Department and the administration of Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter to partner with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to take the most violent repeat offenders off the streets and make Brockton a safer City,” said Brockton Police Chief John Crowley.

According to the charging document, in 2018, federal, state, and local law enforcement began investigating Djuna Goncalves and other alleged members of A Block, a violent Brockton Street gang whose members typically come from Addison Avenue or the surrounding neighborhood, which have for years been plagued by shootings, including two murders, and other crimes of violence.

It is alleged that during the investigation, Djuna Goncalves and his brothers Cody and Anthony Goncalves distributed large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs from an apartment on Addison Avenue to A Block members and other drug traffickers in Brockton and southeastern Massachusetts. Djuna and Cody Goncalves and Calvin Mendes distributed drugs while on pre-trial release for pending state drug trafficking and gun possession charges. Djuna Goncalves and Angelo Pina were previously convicted of drug trafficking offenses in federal court in Boston, and Pina is still on supervised release from his prior federal conviction.

 On Oct. 21, 2018, Djuna Goncalves survived an assassination attempt after an unidentified assailant fired multiple shots into his basement apartment. It is alleged that when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Goncalves’ home, they recovered an AK-47 assault rifle, a Glock .45 caliber pistol, a large number of ammunition clips to various types of firearms and accompanying ammunition, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, suboxone strips, a hydraulic press, packaging materials, digital scales, and approximately $12,000 in cash. Djuna and Cody Goncalves were subsequently arrested on state charges as a result of the evidence seized during the execution of the search warrant.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Lelling; HSI SAC Fitzhugh; DEA SAC Boyle; Colonel Gilpin; DA Cruz; and Chief Crowley made the announcement today. The United States Marshals Service provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 

BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for distributing heroin and fentanyl.

Angelo Pina, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2017, Pina pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl and two counts of distribution of heroin. 

From December 2015 to August 2016, law enforcement conducted an investigation into heroin and fentanyl suppliers in Holbrook and surrounding communities. An undercover officer was introduced to Pina, and on five dates between January and June 2016, the undercover officer made five controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl from Pina.  In addition, the investigation revealed that the cellular telephone used by Pina had, on average, more than 500 calls and texts per day over an 11-month period, indicative of more extensive drug dealing, and that his cellular phone had the contact information of over a dozen people who suffered fatal or non-fatal overdoses in 2015 and 2016, reflecting the grave danger posed by heroin and fentanyl.   

Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. The investigation was led by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Heinrich of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.