A Brockton man linked to the Harvard Street Gang (HSG) was sentenced in federal court to 12 years in prison for selling fentanyl during several controlled transactions. Joshua Tavares, 29, received his sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy and will also serve five years of supervised release.
Tavares pleaded guilty in May 2025 to three counts related to the distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and its analogue. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024.
According to information presented at the sentencing hearing, Tavares was identified as an HSG member in 2023. Between September and November 2024, he sold approximately 549 grams of fentanyl analogue across six separate transactions to a cooperating witness. Each transaction was recorded on video.
Following these controlled purchases, law enforcement executed arrest and search warrants on December 3, 2024, at various residences and stash houses in Brockton. Authorities recovered about four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, drug packaging materials, more than $89,000 in cash, a .40 caliber Glock firearm, and a 9mm Glock firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device at the location where Tavares was found.
Additional searches led to the recovery of another 9mm Glock with a machinegun conversion device and tactical laser sight from a stash site. Officers also seized numerous rounds of ammunition and multiple loaded magazines—including one “drum” style magazine capable of holding up to 50 rounds. These machinegun conversion devices—known as “switches”—can turn firearms into fully automatic weapons.
At the time of these offenses, Tavares was on probation for a previous fentanyl conviction from 2019 and out on pretrial release for another drug-related arrest made in March 2024.
In February 2026, eight other members or associates of HSG were charged with drug and firearm violations. Federal investigations into HSG have been ongoing since 2019; over this period more than twenty individuals connected with the gang have faced state or federal charges involving drugs or firearms. Authorities have seized over one hundred kilograms of narcotics—including cocaine and fentanyl—and more than forty-five firearms during these operations. According to court documents cited by prosecutors, HSG has been involved in violent crimes such as shootings, murders, and intimidation of witnesses. Several defendants have received sentences exceeding ten years; one individual convicted after trial received thirty-two years.
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, Boston Division made the announcement today.” She credited assistance from Massachusetts State Police and Brockton Police Department; Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard prosecuted the case.