Latest news with #AsianBoyz
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Boston Globe
Lowell man pleads guilty to selling guns, machineguns and fake Adderall pills laced with meth, officials say
Laboratory testing confirmed that the 'Adderall' pills Chan sold were homemade methamphetamine pills mixed with caffeine and made to look like the real pharmaceutical drug, prosecutors said. Chan trafficked the counterfeit pills with an alleged co-conspirator who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang, a group distributing methamphetamine across the Merrimack Valley region, prosecutors said. Advertisement In February, a 39-year-old man who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang was Related : Chan was allegedly recorded saying that he could make devices called 'switches,' which can be installed on pistols to make them fully automatic, prosecutors said. 'I let my boys test the switch,' Chan allegedly said in a message to a police source. Chan also allegedly sent videos showing how to install the 'switches' and a video of a person using the switch to shoot a fully automatic handgun into the air. The investigation was a collaboration of local and federal law enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case. Advertisement 'This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,' a joint statement from Foley's Office, the Boston Division FBI, and Lowell Police Department said. Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Lowell man pleads guilty to trafficking guns, drugs, machinegun conversion devices
A Lowell man has pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes after he was recorded illegally selling numerous guns, thousands of methamphetamine pills and machineguns, the U.S. Attorney said. Billy Chan, a/k/a 'Juju,' 20, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count each of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and transfer and possession of a machinegun, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Monday. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Sept. 17. On five different dates in Lowell between March 2023 and June 2023, Chan sold three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices and approximately 2,000 pills marketed as 'Adderall,' to undercover law enforcement, prosecutors said. Laboratory testing confirmed that the 'Adderall' pills were homemade methamphetamine pills pressed with caffeine and designed to look like the genuine pharmaceutical product. Chan trafficked the counterfeit pills with another person who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang, prosecutors said. An investigation found that in 2023, Asian Boyz gang members and associates had access to 'a plentiful supply of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, which they distributed widely across the Merrimack Valley region,' prosecutors said. During a recorded meeting with a cooperating source, Chan said he worked at a machine shop, could make the machinegun conversion 'switch' devices himself and gave instructions and demonstrations on how to install the 'switches' on a pistol, prosecutors said. A few days later, prosecutors said Chan sent the source a video of a person shooting a fully automatic handgun into the air, with the message: 'I let my boys test the switch.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man pleads guilty to gun, drug, and machinegun conversion device trafficking
BOSTON (WWLP) – A Lowell man has pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms, distributing thousands of methamphetamine pills disguised as Adderall, and selling illegal machinegun conversion devices known as 'switches.' Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield Billy Chan, 20, pleaded guilty last Friday to four federal charges: Engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine Distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine Transfer and possession of a machinegun. Federal prosecutors said that between March and June 2023, Chan conducted five illegal sales to undercover law enforcement officers in Lowell. The transactions included three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices, and about 2,000 counterfeit pills made to resemble Adderall. Laboratory analysis confirmed the pills were homemade methamphetamine laced with caffeine. Chan allegedly worked with a co-conspirator affiliated with the Asian Boyz gang, a group that investigators say had a significant role in distributing methamphetamine pills throughout the Merrimack Valley region during 2023. The pills were widely marketed as Adderall, a prescription stimulant, but were illicitly manufactured and contained no pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Authorities also documented a meeting in which Chan described manufacturing the machinegun conversion devices himself while working at a machine shop. He reportedly gave a cooperating source a demonstration on how to install the 'switches' and later sent a video showing a fully automatic pistol being fired into the air, writing in a message, 'I let my boys test the switch.' The case is being prosecuted as part of , a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime by enhancing coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement and community organizations. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man who supplied gang with ‘particularly dangerous' drugs began drinking, smoking at 13
At just 13, a Massachusetts boy turned to alcohol and marijuana. By 15, he was hooked on heroin. Now, three decades later, the scars of that addiction run deep — and at 39, he's been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a Massachusetts-based drug ring. Brian Gingras, also known as 'Cheech,' was sentenced June 4 to nine years in prison. Gringas pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. Gingras' 'first encounter with the criminal justice system was in 2003, when he was 17 years old. The next 20 years of Defendant's life would be an uninterrupted parade of arrests and criminal court cases,' court documents state. 'Most of these cases did not result in convictions, but the records illustrate in stark relief Defendant's unwillingness or inability to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.' Read more: How one machine supercharged illicit drug manufacturing in Mass. In 2019, Gingras' parents bought him a home. Three years later, investigators searched that home 'finding substantial evidence of Defendant's crimes.' Investigators also said the 'unkempt home' was 'in disarray.' 'Drugs were found in nearly every room of the house, some of which were clearly being used,' court documents state. 'Defendant himself appeared to be in distress, and he was removed from the scene in an ambulance.' Thousands of 'particularly dangerous imitations' of Adderall pills that were supplied by a Massachusetts gang looked like the real pills but were filled with a compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. The pills had become increasingly popular and prevalent in Lowell. They were similar in shape, size, and appearance to genuine Adderall but were typically pressed with methamphetamine by local drug traffickers using pill presses, court documents state. Gingras was the source of the pills and other drugs, such as cocaine and counterfeit 'Xanax bars,' to the Asian Boyz gang, according to court documents. He was distributing wholesale quantities of cocaine and various illicit pills. He had all the equipment necessary to produce the pills himself, including an industrial pill press, which is legal in the U.S. The machines are largely unregulated and available for purchase online. In the garage, officials found a broken pill press covered in drug residue. Historically, pill presses were used in the pharmaceutical profession and by people who make their own dietary supplements, such as bodybuilders or naturopaths. Read more: A Mass. man bought an illegal depressant online and took his life. The seller will go to prison Gingras also maintained a large quantity of the drugs at a commercial storage facility, court documents state. Inside the storage unit, officials found 250 grams of methamphetamine pills, over 1 kilogram of etizolam pills, bags of suspected marijuana, boxes of THC extract and edible products and over 30 kilograms of caffeine pills that looked identical to the counterfeit 'Adderall' pills made with methamphetamine. Bill Phim, also known as 'Bonez,' of the Asian Boyz gang, told an undercover officer that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Gingras. Between May 2022 and September 2022, officials said Gingras met with Phim prior to planned deals to personally deliver pills. In total, Gingras supplied Phim with about 5,200 pills during this time period, consisting of over 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of methamphetamine, court documents read. Gingras sold the pills for about $1 per pill. 'Phim, in turn, re-sold the pills to the undercover officer for a significant profit, at the price of $3.50 per pill,' court documents read. Phim, 37, of Lowell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will then be on five years of supervised release. Read more: Will Mass. lawmakers take action on illicit drug-making machines? Public comment sought. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Erickson Dao, also known as 'Silent,' 32, of Lowell, delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim at least five times. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit 'Adderall' pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao's residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit 'Adderall' pills and large quantities of cocaine. Gingras was seen making 'brief visits' to the back door of Dao's house, 'where Dao routinely engaged in drug transactions,' court documents state. Dao was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He will then be on four years of supervised release. Read more: We bought a machine that makes fentanyl pills. It wasn't hard Gingras said he was not part of the Asian Boyz gang. However, court documents state he was highly associated with them, including knowing one of the leaders. After the seizure of the drugs, investigators suspected that they had completely disrupted Gingras drug operation. Over Facebook Messenger, another suspected Asian Boyz gang member Samnang Son, or 'Smiley,' told Gingras that he was 'poor.' Gingras responded, 'Me too. I went from balling to crawling.' 'Defendant's response was revealing, capturing his state of mind in the immediate aftermath of the demise of his own illicit drug operation,' court documents read. When officials went to arrest Gingras the next day, they found him at a location in Lowell that is 'frequented by drug addicts and known as a place to obtain and use illicit drugs.' Read more: Hidden in plain sight: Where pill presses have been uncovered in Mass. Court documents state his addiction and mental health issues were considered when deciding his sentence. However, court documents state, 'this case suggests that Defendant even embraced a life of crime.' Officials hopes the nine years in prison gives Gingras 'significant opportunity to participate in the programming available,' including Bureau of Prison's Residential Drug Abuse Program. Netflix movie with well-known comedians needs paid background actors How pink heart shaped fentanyl led to Mass. father's 18-year prison sentence Botulism cases linked to Botox injections under investigation in Massachusetts ICE deportation blocked by Boston judge: Migrants now in shipping container in Djibouti Mass. 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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
It was labeled and looked like Adderall. But thousands of pills were meth and caffeine
Thousands of counterfeit Adderall pills supplied by a Massachusetts gang looked like the real pills. Instead, they were filled with a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. Now, the gang members are facing years in prison. Erickson Dao, also known as 'Silent,' 32, of Lowell, was sentenced by to more than seven years in prison. He will then be on four years of supervised release. Bill Phim, also known as 'Bonez,' 37, of Lowell, was sentenced by to 10 years in prison. He will then be on five years of supervised release. Read more: Fake Adderall joins vapes as growing danger for high schoolers. These teens are fighting back Both Dao and Phim, who were part of the Asian Boyz, pleaded guilty earlier this year. Dao pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of cocaine. Phim pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. The pills were similar in shape, size and appearance to genuine Adderall, officials said. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Dao delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim at least five times. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit 'Adderall' pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao's residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit 'Adderall' pills and large quantities of cocaine. Phim also told the undercover officer that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Brian Gingras, also known as 'Cheech.' Between May 2022 and September 2022, Gingras met Phim prior to the planned deals to personally deliver the pills. Gringas pleaded guilty in January and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4. Dao is required to forfeit about $50,000 and his jewelry and watches found in his house. Phim is required to forfeit his 2017 Subaru. Parole granted to man once sentenced to die behind bars — but the board was divided Worcester to release body camera footage of police response to ICE arrest '5 people were running the country': New book offers devastating look at Biden's decline Read explicit messages between Cassie and Diddy at his sex trafficking trial Lucky for Life winner: $25,000 a year for life prize won in Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive.
