Fourteen arrested on drug charges in Dorchester sweep
Police target area after slayings
Boston police yesterday arrested 14 suspected drug dealers in a part of Dorchester recently plagued by violent crime, authorities said.
The suspects were apprehended during a warrant sweep in the area of Bowdoin Street, Geneva Avenue, and Olney Street, police said.
The area has seen at least seven homicides this year, raising fears among residents.
On Monday, police detailed other steps aimed at stemming the bloodshed, including placing surveillance cameras in the neighborhood, increasing patrols, and stepping up collaborations with neighborhood watch groups.
Police said most of the suspects, who range in age from 17 to 42, have long criminal histories, including gun offenses. They now have drug charges pending in state and federal courts.
One suspect being held on a federal warrant on a drug distribution charge, Joao Brandao, 25, allegedly sold $50 worth of powdered cocaine to an undercover officer on July 20 on Olney Street, and the transaction was captured on videotape, court records said.
The documents do not list a lawyer for Brandao.
He allegedly told the officer that he could provide about 5 grams of heroin at a later date for $450, according to court filings.
The documents also state that undercover officers have been buying narcotics for some time from dealers in the area as part of their investigation into an “abnormally high amount of area violence’’ that is believed to be drug-related.
In a prepared statement yesterday, Police Commissioner Edward Davis said this week’s warrant sweep was a message that criminals in the area will be held accountable.
Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.
