BOSTON - Five Boston-area men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for firearm and drug offenses.
Trevon Bell, 26, of Boston, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Freily Cabral, 25, of Boston and Quincy, was indicted on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Dumari Scarlett-Dixon, 21, of Boston and Weymouth, was indicted on one count of unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Dane Mitchell, a/k/a “Cheaney," 31, of Revere, was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Lawrence Alexander, 24, of Stoughton, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Bell was arrested on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, and was detained following an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell that afternoon. Cabral, Scarlett-Dixon and Mitchell had previously been arrested and remain in federal custody. Alexander remains at large.
According to charging documents, an investigation conducted from August through December 2021 identified the defendants as illegally possessing or selling firearms. As part of the investigation, a series of search warrants were executed at the defendants’ residences which allegedly resulted in the seizure of numerous firearms, ammunition and drugs packaged for sale. According to charging documents, a search of Cabral and Alexander’s residence on Sept. 9, 2021, resulted in the seizure of a Taurus.38 caliber revolver, a Hopkins and Allen.32 caliber revolver, a Walther 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol,.38 caliber and 9-millimeter ammunition, approximately 1.3 kilograms of marijuana packaged for sale and over $23,000 in cash. A search of Scarlett-Dixon’s residence on Sept. 21, 2021, resulted in the seizure of a Bersa 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, 49 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition and 10 rounds of.380 caliber ammunition. A search of Mitchel’s residence on Dec. 28, 2021, resulted in the seizure of a Taurus.380 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number,.380 caliber ammunition, eight bags of cocaine packaged for sale, a digital scale and other drug trafficking paraphernalia. Agents also recovered a Glock Model 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol that was linked to Bell. At the time of the offenses, Cabral, Scarlett-Dixon and Bell were each on house arrest via electronic monitoring for pending state court firearm charges and Mitchell was on supervised release for a prior federal firearms charge.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, at least two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, from and after any sentence imposed on the underlying drug trafficking counts, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The operation was conducted is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, made the announcement. Special assistance in the investigation was provided by the Boston, Quincy and Lynn Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
