Federal prosecutors say they've taken down the "most dangerous" gang in Massachusetts

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said the FBI's arrest of nine suspected gang members and an indictment of 26 of them has "decimated" the most dangerous and violent gang in Massachusetts.

Known as the Trinitarios, the transnational gang recruits high school students due to shared language and Dominican loyalty, according to a federal indictment announced Tuesday.

The case stems from Operation Paper Machete, which over the course of the last two years, has led to the arrest of a total of 56 suspected Trinitarios members, including the group's leaders in both Lynn and Lawrence.

Federal investigators say the gang is responsible for 15 murders and 30 attempted murders across Essex County.

"We believe…that their entire leadership has been taken out," Foley said in a news conference.

On display were more than a dozen confiscated guns, kilos of deadly drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamine, and a paddle allegedly used to beat members into submission.

"The gang allegedly produced music and music videos featuring Trinitarios pageantry and symbolism; gang members in Trinitarios colors and clothing holding weapons, cash and other items; and lyrics that boasted about the Trinitarios proclivity for violence and the scope of their successful drug distribution operations and other money-making criminal endeavors as warnings and threats to other rival gangs," a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office reads.

The suspected Lynn members of the gang were arrested back in February 2025. Some then acted as cooperating witnesses, recording suspected Lawrence members and helping law enforcement identify gang activity and suspects.

The nine members who were arrested on Tuesday had their initial appearances in court Tuesday afternoon and were held without bail.

Foley said the federal death penalty is not off the table for the gang's suspected leaders.