The owner of a Ceylon Street auto-body shop was arrested last week and faces a detention hearing next week on a federal charge of attempted possession of five kilograms or more of cocaine with intent to distribute for the 15 kilos of what turned out to be fake cocaine being sold to him by an undercover DEA agent, according to court filings.
Jose Perez, 47, of Brockton, and owner of JP Auto Body on Ceylon Street, is currently locked up pending a detention hearing next Tuesday in US District Court in Boston, according to court records.
In an affidavit filed in the case, a DEA agent writes that Perez first came to the agency’s attention in May, when agents were connected to him by another guy they’d been trying to snare for a year, but who was never able to raise enough money to buy wholesale quantities of cocaine. In contrast, Perez told one of the “dealers” that he could easily raise $80,000 to $90,000 for an initial purchase of 10 to 15 kilos – roughly 22 to 33 pounds.
After sending the agent a photo of stacks of $20 and $100 bills, to prove he had the money, Perez, the other guy and two DEA “dealers” agreed to meet May 6 at a Somerville Starbucks. After the four bought coffees, they moved outside to a patio table where, as they sipped, they discussed future purchases – Perez wanted to buy at least 15 kilos “to make it worth it,” but said if the first delivery went well, he’d be looking to increase his purchase order to as much as 100 kilos at a time.
Perez then met alone with two of the “dealers” at a Revere McDonald’s a week later to confirm the deal. According to the affidavit, one of the agents called him June 8 to alert him the drugs were about to cross the Mexican border on their way to the Boston area. They agreed to meet at 10:30 a.m. on June 11 in Framingham to consummate the deal.
According to the affidavit:
“At approximately 6:32 a.m., investigators observed PEREZ exit the Target Residence with a minor child and depart the area in a Red Chevy pick-up truck. Mobile surveillance was maintained as PEREZ travelled to drop off his minor child at school, stopped at a Dunkin Donuts, and then travelled to PEREZ’s business, JP Auto Body, located at 80 Ceylon Street, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where PEREZ arrived at approximately 8:14 a.m. During PEREZ’s travel from the Target Residence to JP Auto Body, at approximately 7:15 a.m., PEREZ placed a call to UC-1 and confirmed the pick- up for 10:30 a.m. that day at the meeting location in Framingham.”
Perez then drove back to his Brockton home, fiddled with what turned out to be a hidden compartment in his pickup, then drove to Framingham, arriving at 10:25 a.m. and calling his main “dealer” to report he was there.
“Approximately 2 minutes later, UC-1 and UC-2 exited an apartment near the meeting location and walked to the Target Vehicle. UC-1 entered the front passenger seat of the Target Vehicle and UC-2 got into the backseat of the Target Vehicle. PEREZ, UC-1, and UC-2 discussed narcotics and PEREZ indicated that he (PEREZ) was receiving narcotics from the imminent purchase with UC-1 and UC-2, and, the following day (June 12, 2025) PEREZ would be receiving an additional forty kilograms. At approximately 10:43 a.m., PEREZ got out of the front seat of the Target Vehicle and then re-entered the backseat of the Target Vehicle and retrieved a bundle of currency wrapped in plastic with ‘150K’ written on the bundle from the hidden compartment. At that point, PEREZ provided the currency to UC-1. UC-2 then exited the Target Vehicle and went to retrieve fifteen bricks of sham cocaine (representing 15 kilograms of cocaine) in exchange for the currency.
“At approximately 10:46 a.m., UC-2 arrived back at the Target Vehicle with the bag with the 15 kilograms of sham cocaine. PEREZ inspected the bag and then began to take the sham kilograms out of the bag to put into the hidden compartment in the Target Vehicle. After approximately four kilograms of sham cocaine were placed into the hidden compartment by PEREZ, law enforcement approached PEREZ and took him into custody. “
