Brockton Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Drug and Firearm Offenses

BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegally possessing a semi-automatic handgun, ammunition, cocaine and fentanyl.

Nelsy Dasilva, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to nine years in prison and six years of supervised release. In October 2020, Dasilva pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Dasilva has been in custody since his arrest in November 2018.

On Nov. 14, 2018, following an investigation into drug distribution in and around Brockton, a search was executed at Dasilva’s apartment where approximately 20 grams of cocaine, two grams of fentanyl, a .380 caliber Jimenez Arms Inc., T-380 semi-automatic handgun and six rounds of .380 caliber ammunition were recovered. Dasilva has a prior felony conviction for assault with the intent to murder, as well convictions for possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, criminal possession of a loaded firearm and assault with a dangerous weapon. Due to these prior convictions, Dasilva is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; and Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Brockton Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Drug and Firearm Offenses | USAO-MA | Department of Justice