Boston, MA – The streets of the North Shore and beyond witnessed a significant shift in the landscape of organized crime following the sentencing of a notorious drug trafficker and gang leader. Armani Minier-Tejada, also known as “Shotz” or “Gustavo,” has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his leadership role in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy.
The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, marks the culmination of a three-year investigation that resulted in the arrest, conviction, and imprisonment of multiple traffickers and offenders in the greater Boston area. Minier-Tejada, aged 24 at the time of sentencing, was convicted on several counts including conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances. Additionally, he was found guilty of multiple firearm-related offenses in connection with the drug trafficking crimes.
Minier-Tejada led the Tiny Rascal Gangsters (TRG), a group known as one of the largest and most violent criminal street gangs in the country. This gang has been involved in street-level distribution of drugs such as powdered cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, and is notorious for its members’ involvement in gun violence. The scope of their operation extended from Boston and the North Shore to the Bangor area in Maine. Evidence presented at trial included a series of shootings in Boston and surrounding communities, linked to the drug conspiracy and the gang’s activities. One such incident in Cambridge in July 2020 involved a retaliatory attack in a crowded parking lot, triggered by a live-streamed video accusing Minier-Tejada of cooperating with law enforcement.