Latest news with #BillyChan
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Lowell man pleads guilty to trafficking guns, drugs, machinegun conversion devices
A Lowell man has pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes after he was recorded illegally selling numerous guns, thousands of methamphetamine pills and machineguns, the U.S. Attorney said. Billy Chan, a/k/a 'Juju,' 20, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count each of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and transfer and possession of a machinegun, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Monday. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Sept. 17. On five different dates in Lowell between March 2023 and June 2023, Chan sold three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices and approximately 2,000 pills marketed as 'Adderall,' to undercover law enforcement, prosecutors said. Laboratory testing confirmed that the 'Adderall' pills were homemade methamphetamine pills pressed with caffeine and designed to look like the genuine pharmaceutical product. Chan trafficked the counterfeit pills with another person who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang, prosecutors said. An investigation found that in 2023, Asian Boyz gang members and associates had access to 'a plentiful supply of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, which they distributed widely across the Merrimack Valley region,' prosecutors said. During a recorded meeting with a cooperating source, Chan said he worked at a machine shop, could make the machinegun conversion 'switch' devices himself and gave instructions and demonstrations on how to install the 'switches' on a pistol, prosecutors said. A few days later, prosecutors said Chan sent the source a video of a person shooting a fully automatic handgun into the air, with the message: 'I let my boys test the switch.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Mass. man pleads guilty to gun, drug, and machinegun conversion device trafficking
BOSTON (WWLP) – A Lowell man has pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms, distributing thousands of methamphetamine pills disguised as Adderall, and selling illegal machinegun conversion devices known as 'switches.' Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield Billy Chan, 20, pleaded guilty last Friday to four federal charges: Engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine Distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine Transfer and possession of a machinegun. Federal prosecutors said that between March and June 2023, Chan conducted five illegal sales to undercover law enforcement officers in Lowell. The transactions included three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices, and about 2,000 counterfeit pills made to resemble Adderall. Laboratory analysis confirmed the pills were homemade methamphetamine laced with caffeine. Chan allegedly worked with a co-conspirator affiliated with the Asian Boyz gang, a group that investigators say had a significant role in distributing methamphetamine pills throughout the Merrimack Valley region during 2023. The pills were widely marketed as Adderall, a prescription stimulant, but were illicitly manufactured and contained no pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Authorities also documented a meeting in which Chan described manufacturing the machinegun conversion devices himself while working at a machine shop. He reportedly gave a cooperating source a demonstration on how to install the 'switches' and later sent a video showing a fully automatic pistol being fired into the air, writing in a message, 'I let my boys test the switch.' The case is being prosecuted as part of , a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime by enhancing coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement and community organizations. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
