Luis Enrique Santana, also known as “Chiquito,” pleaded guilty on April 10 to racketeering conspiracy charges related to his involvement in two murders and two attempted murders as a member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios gang. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled Santana’s sentencing for August 19, with the defendant facing up to life in prison.
The case is significant because it addresses violent crimes linked to organized criminal groups operating within Massachusetts communities. Prosecutors say that these actions have contributed to instability and violence in local neighborhoods.
According to court proceedings, Santana admitted his membership in the Trinitarios gang and described his role in a March 2019 shooting intended to kill three rival gang members. He also admitted being an accessory after the fact during a September 2023 incident where seven people were shot at a party in Lynn, resulting in two deaths. After this shooting, Santana helped move the vehicle used by perpetrators from Lynn to Lawrence in an effort to hide evidence from law enforcement.
Federal racketeering charges were brought against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios following Operation Paper Machetes, which began after four murders and several shootings occurred in Lynn during 2023. The investigation has led so far to multiple convictions: one member was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment; another received fourteen years; two more pleaded guilty last December; and now Santana is the ninth defendant convicted.
The United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced that this prosecution forms part of both Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) efforts—established by Executive Order 14159—and Operation Take Back America initiatives aimed at eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational organizations, and human trafficking rings across the country.