By Seth Daniel and Paul Koolloian
Missing Child Reunited with Parents
A 10-year-old Chelsea girl who attends Kelly school was reunited with her parents on June 4 after Chelsea Police located her in Revere. The student had fallen asleep aboard the MBTA bus she regularly takes home from school, waking to find herself at Maverick Square station. Disoriented, she boarded an unfamiliar bus that eventually left her near North Shore Road in Revere, where she began walking along the busy roadway. Her parents had already arrived at the police station to report her missing. Officers pinpointed her location using her cell phone. While Chelsea, Transit and Revere Police conducted searches in the area, an MBTA bus driver spotted the girl and transported her to Wonderland “T” Station in Revere, from where she was returned to her parents at Chelsea Police Headquarters. The incident left the girl unharmed, and Chelsea officers are now collaborating with her family and school to arrange safer transportation alternatives.
Struggle Without a Shirt
Officers arrived at 176 Clark Ave. at 1:20 a.m. on May 27 following a disturbance report. Witnesses had observed a shirtless male who appeared intoxicated engaged in a physical altercation with a female attempting to prevent him from entering the residence. The situation escalated when officers attempted to calm the individual, leading to a struggle during which he was subdued and taken into custody. He was evaluated at CHA Everett before being booked at CPD.
Eber Orantes, 33, of 176 Clark Ave., was charged with disorderly conduct, assault with a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest.
Threated With Strange Weapon
A road rage incident on May 30 at 9:20 p.m. near Normandy Road and Garfield Avenue involved a report of a firearm. Police received a description of a black Honda Accord allegedly involved in the altercation. When CPD officers located the vehicle, they discovered the subject possessed a modified instrument designed to resemble a firearm. Information from the victim in the other vehicle assisted officers in apprehending the suspect.
Tanvir Zahir, 21, of Stoneham, was charged with violating the motor vehicle ordinance, violating the dangerous weapons ordinance, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Swallowed Bag of Crack
On May 31 at 9:30 a.m., officers on Chestnut Street near Fourth Street observed a male with a history of drug offenses walking with an unknown individual. What officers suspected was a drug transaction prompted them to approach the pair. The subject immediately admitted to ingesting a bag of “crack” upon seeing the officers. Additional drugs were recovered during a search of his person, leading to his arrest. The second individual was also identified and arrested at the scene. The male who consumed the narcotics received evaluation at CHA Everett.
Argenis Felipe, 33, of East Boston, was charged with possession to distribute a Class B drug (crack), conspiracy, and distribution of a Class B drug.
Box Cutter
Officers responded at 11 a.m. on May 31 to the parking lot of 260 Clark Ave. for a fight in progress involving two building tenants in an argument. One tenant alleged the other had threatened him with a box cutter. The weapon was recovered and the accused male was taken into custody.
Jody Robinson, 59, of 260 Clark Ave., was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
Swerved at Pedestrian
At 9:10 a.m. on June 1, an off-duty CPD officer traveling on Hawthorne Street toward Chester Avenue witnessed a male crossing the street. A Toyota Corolla operator honked aggressively and then deliberately steered toward the pedestrian. To avoid being struck, the victim jumped four to six feet backward. Officers responding to the scene believed the operator had intentionally attempted to hit the man, an action that could have caused severe injury. The driver was taken into custody for assault with a dangerous weapon.
Eduardo Garcia, 35, of East Boston, was charged with failing to slow, reckless operation, and assault with a dangerous weapon (car).
MS-13 Member Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
Last week an MS-13 member received sentencing for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition while residing in the country unlawfully.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Nery Rodriguez Diaz, 19, a Salvadoran national from Chelsea, to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Following his sentence completion, Diaz faces deportation proceedings.
On May 22, 2018, police arrested Diaz and fellow MS-13 member Elmer Alfaro Hercules at Bremen Street Park in East Boston with loaded firearms. This location has been noted as a frequent gathering place for MS-13 gang members and a site of recurring gang violence.
Both Diaz and Hercules had illegally entered the United States in 2014 as unaccompanied minors, as the investigation revealed. Federal charges were filed against both for being aliens in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Hercules pleaded guilty and received a 13-month prison sentence with three years of supervised release. He will also face deportation following sentence completion.
Chelsea Gang Leader Sentenced to Over 15 years in Prison
Federal court in Boston last week imposed sentencing on a leader of the East Side Money Gang (ESMG) for racketeering, drug trafficking and firearms trafficking.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns sentenced Angel “Stackz” Mejia Zelaya, 24, of Chelsea, to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In January 2019, Mejia entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (RICO), one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
The ESMG, led by Mejia, operated as a violent Chelsea-based street gang responsible for numerous crimes including multiple shootings and drug distribution throughout Chelsea and adjacent communities. Mejia and other gang members and associates actively engaged in the illegal sale of firearms such as handguns and shotguns in and around Chelsea.
Multiple gang-related shootings involved Mejia’s participation.
A July 5, 2015 shooting orchestrated by Mejia targeted a rival gang member on a Chelsea public street but did not result in injury. On March 29, 2016, Mejia and his lieutenant Josue “Superbad” Rodriguez arranged to supply a .22 caliber revolver to ESMG member Brandon “Big Baby” Baez for use against rivals. On April 3, 2016, in Revere, Baez used this revolver in an attempted murder of two men believed to be rival gang members or associates sitting in a vehicle. Though wounded, both men survived. Baez contacted Mejia immediately following the shooting to report the incident. Mejia admitted to providing firearms to other ESMG members as well, including a juvenile who accidentally shot another person.
Drug distribution formed a substantial part of ESMG operations under Mejia’s leadership, with cocaine and cocaine base (crack) being sold throughout Chelsea and surrounding areas. At minimum, Mejia distributed a kilogram of cocaine base. The gang maintained drug storage and distribution points at a Tudor Street residence in Chelsea and another Chelsea-area location, keeping handguns at both sites to secure drug operations and support other gang activities.
An investigation into various street gangs including the 18th Street Gang, ESMG and the Boylston Street Gang—organizations fueling a gun and drug pipeline across eastern Massachusetts communities—resulted in Mejia’s prosecution. During the investigation, authorities seized more than 70 firearms.