PERTH AMBOY, NJ – A massive operation, led by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Perth Amboy Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit, dismantled a Perth Amboy street gang believed to have been involved in drug trafficking, firearms possession, and a series of violent crimes, including a machete attack on a rival gang member.
As a result of a 10-month-long joint investigation, 19 people, including 16 adults and three juveniles, have been charged. They are alleged members of the Hot Boys Mafia, suspected to be a local subset of the Dominicans Don’t Play gang.
Law enforcement descended on three Perth Amboy locations on June 20. During the operation, officers confiscated $9,000 in cash, 13 pounds of marijuana, a 9-mm handgun, several kilos of imitation drugs, hundreds of marijuana vape cartridges, boxes of pills and ammunition, along with drug distribution packaging materials.
The gang was allegedly under the command of Domingo Paulino, 29, and his second-in-command, Adonis “Pantera” Estevez, 21, both of Perth Amboy, both now charged with racketeering and several drug offenses. Police are currently searching for Estevez, who remains at large.
The investigation further revealed HBM members committed a series of violent crimes, ranging from a machete attack to carjacking. The gang is believed to have conducted online drug sales, using Instagram and the Telegram messenger app to facilitate drug distribution.
The New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Perth Amboy Police Department’s Special Investigation Unit are asking anyone with information to come forward.