East Boston brothers face dangerousness hearings after narcotics bust
BOSTON, December 11, 2025 – Two East Boston brothers were arraigned Wednesday in BMC East Boston on charges of drug possession and distribution after a monthslong surveillance operation by Boston police, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JULIAN MONGUI ABRIL, 33, is charged with trafficking cocaine over 200 grams, possession with intent to distribute Class A, two counts of possession with intent to distribute Class B, possession with intent to distribute Class C, possession with intent to distribute Class D, and drug violation near a school/park. Judge Debra DelVecchio ordered him held without bail pending a December 16 dangerousness hearing.
JUAN MONGUI ABRIL, 30, is charged with trafficking cocaine over 200 grams, possession with intent to distribute Class B, possession with intent to distribute Class D, and a drug violation near a school/park. DelVecchio set bail at $1500 and ordered him to return to court December 19 for a dangerousness hearing.
Earlier this year, Boston police received complaints about drug activity in the Greenway area near Maverick Square in East Boston. After extensive surveillance and controlled undercover drug purchases, police identified Julian Moguil Abril as one of the main dealers and obtained a search warrant for his person and his 60 Lubec Street residence in East Boston.
On December 9, Drug Control Unit officers from Areas A-1, A-7 and E-18 arrested Julian Mongui Abril on the first-floor landing of his Lubec Street apartment building. Officers entered the home and arrested Juan Mongui Abril, Julian’s younger brother, inside. Prior to the search warrant being executed, Julian stated that everything in his bedroom belonged to him personally. Juan also stated that everything found in his bedroom belonged to him personally. Officers seized $11,000 in cash, a half kilo of cocaine, several pounds of marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, LSD, ketamine and MDMA from both bedrooms and the kitchen.
The brothers’ residence is located 199 feet from the boundary line of the Donald McKay Elementary School.
“This was a long and thorough investigation that began through communication from residents concerned about what they saw happening in their neighborhood. Quality of life is of utmost importance for all of our residents, and this episode is a good example of what can happen when residents share with law enforcement what they’re seeing on their streets and in their neighborhoods,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications