Nine Arrested on Drug and Gun Charges After Two-Year Investigation in Jamaica Plain

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Nine men, eight of who are allegedly Heath Street Gang members and associates, have been charged with committing drug and firearm crimes around the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain. Seven of the men were arrested this morning and were to appear in federal court later in the day.

“These arrests come as a result of a two-year investigation working closely with our federal law enforcement partners,” said Boston Police Commission William Evans via press release according to bpdnews.com. “Public safety in Boston is my number one priority and I will continue to use all the resources available to target individuals driving violence in our city. I commend the work of my officers and all those involved in taking these dangerous individuals off the streets and the work they do every day to keep Boston safe.”

The two-year investigation was a joint operation between the Boston Police and the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).

The Mildred C. Hailey Apartments is one of the largest owned by the Boston Housing Authority, and has been beset by drug trafficking, shootings and other related crimes, of which much is gang related. During a 10-month period in 2017, there were 36 incidents of shots fired, eight non-fatal shootings, one homicide, 20 drug-related arrested and 25 robberies in and around the development, according to the Boston Regional Intelligence Center.

The following individuals are alleged members of the Heath Street Gang and are charged with distribution of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a public housing facility:

  • Cerone "JP" Davis, 25, of Boston
  • Joe "Profit" Simmons, 30, of Boston
  •  Jarrod "Rizz" Simmons, 21, of Boston

The following individuals are alleged members of the Heath Street Gang and are charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and distribution of cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a public housing facility:

  • Dominique "Heff" Finch, 27, of Boston
  • James Finch, 32, of Boston, remains a fugitive
  • Javonte "Biggie" and "Big Dog" Robinson, 21
  • Kevin "Works" Smith, 27, of Boston

Two other non-Boston residents were also arrested: Franklin "Frankie So So Smoth" Safo-Agyare, 25, of Worcester, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. And Kendrick "K-Roc" Tate, 25, of Chelsea, is an alleged member of the Health Street Gang and is charged with distribution of cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Tate is already in prison on a three-and-a-half-to-four-year sentence for unrelated state drug and firearm convictions.

The charge of distribution of controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a public housing development carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year. The charge of distribution of cocaine base carries at least three years in prison.

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