FBI identifies alleged gang member, drug dealer caught in dramatic arrest
By Sera Congi, Phil Tenser
Click here for updates on this story
LAWRENCE, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Numerous armed federal agents used armored equipment in a dramatic arrest of an alleged gang member and drug dealer in Lawrence on Monday.
Sky5 arrived overhead at approximately 10:35 a.m. as one of the armored vehicles with a battering ram was used to break a window of the house at 2 Roberta Lane. Within minutes, officers tossed something through the window, which was followed by a burst of smoke.
Soon after, a man exited the home and put his hands in the air.
While he was escorted down the street, a column of other armed officers was seen entering the house.
The FBI initially said that agents and “partners” were conducting “court-authorized activity” at the address. Later, a spokesperson confirmed the agents were working to arrest Luis Jose Nivar Cabral, in connection with a drug case filed in U.S. District Court in Maine.
A criminal complaint filed with the court indicates that Cabral is believed to be a member of the Trinitario street gang and was based in Massachusetts but frequently traveled to Maine for drug deals. The document also contains allegations that Cabral “has perpetrated at least three home invasions in Maine, as well as a high-speed chase with police, during which Cabral and his associates repeatedly fired on pursuing officers.”
According to the complaint, agents were surveilling a home on Easton Hill Road on Aug. 15, in Rumford, Maine, when they saw a Dodge Charger leave the property. An officer attempted a traffic stop, but a chase followed, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph.
Two marked cruisers followed the Dodge but realized they were being fired upon by people in the car. One rifle was thrown out of the vehicle and another was recovered about a week later, after the abandoned Dodge was found.
The complaint indicates that officers arrested one suspect along Route 232, near where the Dodge was abandoned, on Aug. 16. That co-conspirator provided the name of the driver and told investigators one of the other men in the car was named Jose.
Investigators said the suspect also gave them access to his cellphone, which contained records of his communications with Jose.
Two others were arrested after vehicles drove through a roadblock in Rumford early on the morning of Aug. 16. According to the complaint, they sought to buy drugs and followed directions from Jose on Aug. 15. Both of them identified Cabral from a photograph and one allowed investigators access to his phone, containing their communications about drug purchases.
The federal complaint also indicates that Cabral was arrested on a warrant by Massachusetts State Police on Aug. 31 following a traffic stop. At that time, he was carrying eight pieces of identification for others, including the ID for one of the men arrested in Rumford and a relative of a cooperating witness.
Based on the results of a search warrant for Cabral’s phone, the FBI told the court that Cabral made at least four “drug-related trips to Maine from Massachusetts” after Sept. 9. They also spotted him driving a rented black Jeep, similar to the one seen in the driveway in Lawrence on Monday morning.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.