Feds say used-car lot on Hancock Street was front for area drug ring

221 Hancock St.

Pacific Auto Sales

Take a look at a June, 2016 photo of the lot at Pacific Auto Sales, 221 Hancock St. in Dorchester and you see a couple dozen cars, all under bright pennants.

But, federal officials say, none of the cars were actually for sale - just their contents were.

In a statement and court filing this week, the US Attorney's office in Boston and a DEA special agent say the small lot, just a quick jag down Hancock from Dorchester Avenue, was a place where a large-scale drug ring run by Deiby Victoria of Saugus and Starling Bladmil Gonzalez of Roslindale sold heroin, fentanyl and cocaine to smaller Boston-area dealers.

According to the US Attorney's office, the ring used the cars on the lot as storage bins for drugs: "The members of the organization collected payments and then directed drug buyers to the cars in which the drugs were hidden." Most of the cars were seized during raids Tuesday morning.

State records show Pacific Auto Sales being owned by Ramon Bernabel, who lists addresses in Roslindale and Dorchester. In an affidavit filed in connection with the charges in US District Court, however, a DEA agent says that's an alias for Wilson Baez, whose brother, Vinicio Baez, was one of 19 people charged Tuesday with conspiring to distribute heroin, Fentanyl and cocaine.

Wilson Baez was not among those charged on Tuesday. Officials say Vinicio Baez ran the lot with his brother - and that they have video and audio recordings tying him and the lot to the drug ring.

In early September, for example, the affidavit said Vinicio Baez, who had recently been robbed of 3 kilograms of cocaine at gunpoint, likely right at the used-car lot, met with a man at the lot he thought could help him either get back the cocaine or the equivalent amount of money. He gave the man - who was a "cooperating witness" working with the feds - "a sample of drugs" and urged him to tell other dealers the lot was open for business. "The CW gave this sample to FBI agents, and the sample field tested positive for Fentanyl."

The affidavit continues:

On September 21, 2016, investigators intercepted a call over Target Telephone #1 between VICTORIA and a drug customer who VICTORIA called SANTANA. During the call, VICTORIA and SANTANA discussed that no cars were sold at Pacific Auto. SANTANA said, “I don’t like being there either. You know they deal their stuff there. It is very hot there.” VICTORIA replied, “That’s where they do ever ything buddy. You heard?” As detailed above, SANTANA told investigators that he believed VINICIO was selling drugs from Target Location #5. I believe SANTANA and VICTORIA were talking about how VINICIO sells drugs from this location (“deal their stuff”).

The affidavit also describes video from Nov. 30 that shows a woman driving into the lot and appearing to arrange a drug purchase with Vinicio Baez - who directed a lot employee to get the woman what looked like a drug package and then hand it to her as she sat in her car.

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