Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
Eric Celestino, a 31-year-old member of the H Block gang, was sentenced on Mar. 23 in federal court in Boston to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a drug conspiracy.
Celestino had pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The case is part of ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address gang-related violence and drug trafficking in Boston.
Celestino is one of ten H Block members and associates charged following a multi-year investigation that began in response to an increase in gang-related shootings, violence, and drug activity. Authorities seized over 500 grams of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and more than 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper during the investigation. Since its start in 2021, law enforcement linked twelve incidents of gunfire to H Block associates. Six members were arrested on drug charges while four others were already held on unrelated state charges at the time.
From 2022 through 2023, Celestino supplied cocaine to co-conspirators who then sold drugs during undercover operations. According to charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is considered one of Boston's most influential gangs with a history dating back to its origins as the Humboldt Raiders in Roxbury during the 1980s. The group has been involved in violent confrontations with police officers including a notable incident where an officer was shot without warning.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentencing along with officials from multiple federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Secret Service, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), as well as local law enforcement partners from across Massachusetts.
This prosecution forms part of broader efforts under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159 aimed at dismantling criminal cartels and gangs operating within the United States. Celestino is now the sixth defendant sentenced out of those charged; other defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
