In federal court in Boston, a Chelsea resident entered a guilty plea last week to possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute.
The defendant, Adres Perez, 26, faces sentencing on Sept. 10, 2019 before U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns on the charge of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute. Perez was indicted in December 2017 alongside Cesar Alicea, who faced charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the charging documents, both individuals were affiliated with the East Side Money Gang.
On Oct. 31, 2017, Revere police observed what appeared to be a drug transaction occurring in a vehicle. Upon stopping the car driven by Perez with Alicea as a passenger, officers removed Perez and conducted a pat-frisk. Alicea fled the vehicle and discarded an item later identified as a .25 caliber Raven Arms pistol. Crack cocaine was subsequently recovered from the car, and heroin was found on Perez’s person.
Alicea entered a guilty plea previously and received a 48-month prison sentence in January 2019.
Under the charge of possession with intent to distribute, sentencing guidelines allow for up to 20 years imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of three years, supervised release that could extend for life, and fines reaching $1 million.