Alleged members of violent, drug-running gang rounded up

A federal judge on Friday unsealed an indictment charging 19 alleged members of the Dorchester-based Cameron Street gang with a variety of RICO violations dating to 2010 that include one murder, 33 attempted murders, 17 armed robberies, 19 unarmed robberies, including home invasions, one carjacking and selling crack, marijuana and guns.

Most of the alleged members were rounded up Friday by ATF agents and BPD officers, although alleged ringleader Kenny Romero has been in custody since last November, according to the indictment that details the activities of a gang the feds say have been terrorizing the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood for decades - often as part of a war with its rivals over on Wendover Street, sometimes called NOB (Norton/Olney/Barry), many of whose members were themselves rounded up two years ago.

Even when not shooting or beating people, members attempted to intimidate Wendover members, the public and law enforcement, the indictment says. It points to an incident on Dec. 9, 2019, when gang member Paulo "Bucky" Santos robbed a Wendover member right outside Dorchester District Court. In another incident, a Cameron Street member, Jose "Zay" Fonseca tried to ram a police officer with his car after the cop spotted him in an apparent drug sale.

The feds charge the gang brought in large amounts of marijuana from California and made sure members had ready access to guns and ammo. On Feb. 26 of this year, alleged member Felisberto "CheeB" Lopes was arrested while in possession of 446 rounds of different types of ammunition, along with 500 grams of cocaine.

Gang members didn't just confine themselves to Bowdoin-Geneva. The indictment charges they sold drugs in Everett, Somerville, Quincy, Braintree Hingham and even San Francisco - usually while armed.

The affidavit states Cameron Street members refer to the gang with names such as Cam, Camily, Killa Cam and Body Bag Boys and that members often get tattoos or wear sports caps featuring the letter "C" including for the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnait Reds, the Calgary Flames and the Canadiens. Some, though, wear Kansas City Royals caps, "meant to signify 'Killa Cam."

Members can also be spotted wearing jewelry marked with "3-1-1-3" in references to the third, first and thirteenth letters of the alphabet (C, A and M). Or they signal to each other by showing three fingers (for "C").

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