BOSTON, Mass.- Federal prosecutors have indicted 26 alleged leaders, members and associates of the Trinitarios gang, including individuals tied to the organization’s Lawrence and Haverhill chapters, on racketeering and drug trafficking charges linked to five murders and 19 attempted murders.
The charges were unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Boston as part of a broader investigation into the Trinitarios, a transnational criminal organization that authorities allege has operated throughout Massachusetts and northern New England for years. Prosecutors said the defendants include alleged leaders, members and associates from the gang’s Lawrence, Haverhill and Boston chapters.
According to court documents, the defendants are accused of participating in a criminal enterprise involved in murder, attempted murder, narcotics trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and robbery. Federal prosecutors allege the gang trafficked dozens of kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine into New Hampshire and Maine while using violence and intimidation to maintain influence in neighborhoods where it operated.
Of the 26 defendants named in the latest indictment, the majority are alleged members or associates of the Lawrence chapter. Others are tied to the Haverhill and Boston chapters, including individuals identified by prosecutors as chapter leaders.
The charges stem from a multi-phase investigation that began in 2024 following a series of killings, shootings and attempted murders allegedly connected to the Trinitarios in Lynn. In February 2025, federal authorities charged 22 alleged leaders, members and associates of the gang’s Lynn chapter and state leadership in a separate racketeering case.
Federal prosecutors said the latest indictment alleges the Trinitarios were involved in five murders and 19 attempted murders, while previous cases and convictions described in court documents connect alleged members to additional killings over the past decade.
According to investigators, the Trinitarios maintained a structured hierarchy with local chapters led by leadership groups known as “Cabinets.” Prosecutors allege those leaders were responsible for recruiting new members, enforcing discipline and collecting money used to support the organization’s activities and incarcerated members.
Court documents further allege the gang recruited young people within immigrant communities, including juveniles, particularly in Lawrence and Lynn. Prospective members allegedly were required to carry out violent “missions,” including shootings, assaults or fights, before being formally inducted into the organization.
Authorities also allege gang members produced music and videos featuring Trinitarios symbols, colors and references to violence and drug trafficking as a means of promoting the organization and intimidating rivals.
The latest charges are part of a broader federal effort that has resulted in charges against 56 alleged Trinitarios members over the past two years. According to prosecutors, those cases involve allegations connected to 11 murders and 30 attempted murders since 2017.
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