Dorchester, Mattapan men sentenced to federal prison for roles in drug ring; had previously served federal time for other offenses

A federal judge yesterday sentenced Winston McGhee, 37, of Dorchester to 9 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in a Dorchester drug ring - the day after the judge sentenced Eric Davis, 37, of Mattapan, to 8 3/4 years in federal prison for his role in the operation, the US Attorney's office reports.

Both were arrested in June, 2020 in a series of DEA and BPD raids aimed at a drug ring allegedly operated by Kenji Drayton of Dorchester. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm in February of this year.

Both men are already familiar with federal prison.

McGhee was sentenced to five years in federal prison following his 2008 conviction for crack possession; Davis was sentenced to nearly six years following his 2007 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

McGhee also has a state record dating to his mid-teens; however, prosecutors had to dismiss a murder charge against him after all the witnesses refused to testify. Two months before he was arrested in a federal/local crackdown that led to his new sentence, he was arrested on charges of shooting a man on Cheney Street in Roxbury.

In a sentencing recommendation, prosecutors wrote:

MCGHEE is a significant criminal who has committed serious crimes. Such conduct calls for a long sentence, followed by a long term of supervised release to protect the community upon his release. This sentence of 115 accomplishes that goal. It adequately punishes MCGHEE and will prevent him from committing further crimes for nearly ten years. It will deter others. In short, it accomplishes all of the goals of sentencing without being greater than necessary.

In 2012, Davis was one month out of federal prison on the gun-felon charge when he was arrested again, this time on state charges, of illegal possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and possession of a large-capacity firearm. He was convicted and sentenced to three years in state prison. In their sentencing recommendation in the Drayton case, prosecutors wrote:

One unfortunate fact stands out about DAVIS’s background: DAVIS has been here before and not been deterred. Prior to this case, DAVIS has served three, separate multi-year sentences, including nearly six years in federal prison. Now, at age 37, DAVIS continued to engage in criminal activity—at a larger scale, possessing a very large amount of drug, and still with a gun.