Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Boston gang member has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison for drug conspiracy charges. Avery Lewis, also known as "Wave," aged 33 from Dorchester, received a sentence of 46 months followed by three years of supervised release. This sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun after Lewis pleaded guilty in January 2025 to two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Lewis is among ten members and associates of the H-Block gang who were charged in August 2024 following an investigation that began in 2021. The investigation aimed to address increasing gang-related drug trafficking and violence. Authorities seized over 500 grams of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and more than 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper during the operation.
The H-Block street gang is noted for its influence and violent history in Boston. Initially formed as the Humboldt Raiders in Roxbury during the 1980s, it resurfaced as H-Block in the 2000s. The gang has been involved in confrontations with law enforcement, including a notable incident in 2015 where a member shot a Boston Police officer.
Lewis's involvement included being a street-level dealer with a consistent customer base and coordinating drug trafficking activities within the gang. He was arrested on April 5, 2023, with about 250 grams of cocaine found in his vehicle. In March 2024, he was involved in an altercation resulting in state charges after a Boston Police officer was struck by a bullet fired from a concealed gun he possessed.
His criminal record includes previous convictions: one for possessing bags of cocaine inside his apartment in 2017 and another for unlawfully possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number in 2013.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced this development alongside other law enforcement officials from various agencies involved in the case's investigation under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF focuses on dismantling high-level criminal organizations using an intelligence-driven approach.
The allegations against Lewis are detailed within charging documents, and all remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
