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Feds charge 18 Brazilian nationals and seize 110 guns following investigation in Mass.
Some of the firearms were allegedly tied to “gang-related activities” by one of the largest criminal organizations in Brazil and Latin America.
Following a year-long federal investigation, authorities have charged 18 men, all Brazilian nationals, with federal firearms offenses and seized roughly 110 guns, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
The men, who were living in several Massachusetts communities, are accused of being involved in the sale of several types of firearms, including handguns, rifles, short-barreled rifles, and shotguns, primarily trafficked from parts of Florida and South Carolina, charging documents say.
Some of the firearms were allegedly tied to “gang-related activities” by Primeiro Comando da Capital, one of the largest criminal organizations in Brazil and Latin America, and other local street gangs including “Tropa de Sete” and “Trem Bala,” according to the office.
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Members of Primeiro Comando da Capital, originally founded in the prison systems in São Paulo, Brazil, have been known to “commit violent offenses in furtherance of the organization, to include murders, armed robberies, kidnappings and the coordination of a transnational drug trafficking operation,” authorities alleged.
“This kind of lawlessness fuels violent crime and empowers transnational criminal organizations that profit from chaos and fear,” U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a statement. “This case is a testament to the strength of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships in keeping our communities safe and upholding the rule of law.”
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The men, most of whom are alleged to have no legal status in the United States, resided in Marlborough, Malden, Weymouth, Chelsea, Framingham, Revere, Boston, Yarmouth, West Yarmouth, Barnstable, Plymouth, and Everett, according to the statement.
The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed, the statement says.
Since the investigation began in 2024, officials allegedly seized roughly 110 firearms, in addition to trafficking quantities of fentanyl and ammunition.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that “marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration,” the statement says.
“Many of these 18 Brazilian aliens illegally settled in our Massachusetts communities apparently with the intention of causing harm to our residents,” Patricia H. Hyde, acting field office director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, said in a statement. “ICE Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing illegal alien offenders from our New England neighborhoods.”
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