Two brothers from Lynn, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances after coordinating the sale of cocaine, counterfeit pills, and other drugs across the North Shore. Meliek Bennett, 29, and Maurice Bennett, 38, entered their pleas before U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy. Sentencing is scheduled for November 3, 2025.
Maurice Bennett was identified as a member of the Bloods street gang in Lynn and has prior convictions related to firearms and violent crimes. Investigators intercepted text messages between Maurice and Meliek that detailed their efforts to distribute cocaine, prescription medication, counterfeit pills, and marijuana. The brothers discussed sharing customers and supplies as well as paying off drug debts and traveling together to New Hampshire to sell drugs.
In September 2024, authorities recorded a conversation in which Meliek described plans to use a silenced pistol against a drug supplier following an altercation over unpaid debts. Shortly after this conversation was obtained by law enforcement, police executed a search warrant at Meliek’s residence in Lynn. There they found fentanyl tablets, oxycodone, gabapentin, marijuana, a .22 caliber pistol with a threaded barrel designed for suppression devices, and ammunition.
The charges carry potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison along with at least three years of supervised release and fines up to $1 million. Sentences will be determined according to federal guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: “United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement.” She noted that assistance came from the Lynn Police Department and Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and David Cutshall are prosecuting the case through the Organized Crime & Gang Unit.
