Mark Linnehan, an associate of the H Block gang, was sentenced on Apr. 7 in federal court in Boston to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a drug conspiracy.
Linnehan, 26, from West Roxbury, pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The sentencing comes after a multi-year investigation into H Block’s activities following increased gang-related drug trafficking and violence starting in 2021.
Authorities said Linnehan was one of ten H Block members and associates charged in August 2024. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 500 grams of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper. Since the start of the probe, twelve incidents involving gunfire were linked to rising tensions among H Block associates. Six members were arrested on drug charges while four others were already held by state authorities at that time; additional drugs and four firearms were also confiscated during subsequent arrests.
From 2022 through 2023, Linnehan supplied fentanyl to co-conspirators and conducted several drug deals with an undercover officer according to court filings. The charging documents describe H Block as one of Boston’s most feared gangs—originally formed as the Humboldt Raiders before re-emerging as H Block—and cite past violent confrontations with police including a notable incident where a member shot a Boston Police officer without warning.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentence along with officials from multiple agencies involved in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley and Jeremy Franker from the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section.
The investigation was conducted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which targets high-level criminal organizations through coordinated efforts across agencies.
