BOSTON—Stop us if you've heard this one before: an illegal immigrant with gang ties, a stash of guns, and a side hustle selling cocaine — all operating freely in Massachusetts. Under Governor Healey's administration, it's becoming a weekly headline.

Melbi Ovidio Ortez, 41, a Salvadoran national living illegally in Chelsea, has pleaded guilty to federal charges after running a backyard arms bazaar for members of the notorious 18th Street Gang.

His business model was simple: set up shop behind his residence and sell guns, ammo, and cocaine to anyone with gang credentials and cash.

Entrepreneurial spirit? Sure. Legal? Not so much.

The Arsenal

According to federal prosecutors, Ortez was not running a small-time operation.

Over the course of just one month — from April 3 to May 2, 2025 — he sold four pistols and more than 100 rounds of ammunition to gang members:

• A Glock 9mm pistol
• A Sturm and Ruger .22 caliber revolver
• A Glock .40 caliber pistol
• A Colt .380 pistol

Two of those weapons — the Glock 9mm and the Colt .380 — had their serial numbers defaced. Because when you are selling guns to gangbangers, traceability is bad for business.

Here is the kicker: Ortez bought the Glock 9mm from a licensed firearms dealer in New Hampshire just 20 days before flipping it to gang members. So much for that background check.

And when the gun business slowed down? Ortez pivoted to pharmaceuticals — the illegal kind. Prosecutors say he sold cocaine twice during the same period.

The Charges

Ortez pleaded guilty to:

• Engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license — up to 5 years in prison
• Distribution and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance — up to 20 years in prison

That is a maximum of 25 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 6, 2026.

And because Ortez is in the country illegally, he is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence. ICE will be waiting.

The Takedown

This was not a one-agency bust.

The case was brought as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, an initiative established under Executive Order 14159 aimed at dismantling gangs, cartels, and criminal organizations operating in the U.S.

The investigation involved a who's who of federal and local law enforcement:

• FBI Boston
• ATF Boston
• ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations
• Massachusetts State Police
• Police departments from Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Medford, Revere, Falmouth, and Nantucket
• The Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney's Offices

Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting.

The Bigger Picture

Ortez is exactly the kind of case federal authorities say they are prioritizing: an illegal immigrant with gang ties running a criminal enterprise while living freely in a so-called sanctuary state.

How long was he operating before anyone noticed? That remains unclear.

What is clear: another illegal immigrant, another criminal operation, another headline out of Massachusetts.

At this rate, someone might want to ask the governor how this keeps happening.

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Ortez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston before Chief Judge Denise J. Casper.