BOSTON – Two brothers from Lynn were arrested on May 15, 2025 in connection with an investigation into drug conspiracy and firearm offenses.
Meliek Bennett, 29, and his brother Maurice Bennett, 38, both of Lynn, were charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Meliek Bennett was also charged with possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the charging documents, Maurice Bennett was identified as an alleged member of the Bloods street gang in Lynn with prior convictions for carrying firearms and violent crimes. During the investigation, numerous text messages between Maurice and his brother Meliek were intercepted, wherein they allegedly coordinated the distribution of drugs including cocaine, prescription medication, counterfeit pills and marijuana. The brothers allegedly discussed sharing drug customers, sharing drug supplies, paying Meliek’s drug debts and making a trip to New Hampshire to sell controlled substances together.
In September 2024, a recorded conversation was obtained where Meliek allegedly described intending to use a silenced pistol to shoot up the residence of a drug supplier and potentially murder the drug supplier to whom he owed a drug debt – after the supplier had beaten up Meliek. Shortly thereafter, a search warrant was executed at Meliek Bennett’s residence in Lynn, where fentanyl tablets, oxycodone, gabapentin and marijuana, as well as a .22 caliber pistol with a threaded barrel and ammunition were discovered.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years in prison, consecutive to the sentence for the drug crime. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lynn Police and Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and David Cutshall of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
