Drug dealer who dreamed of the ultimate convenience of having a gun in every room pleads guilty to federal drug charges

Kareem Chapin, 47, of Canton, pleaded guilty last week to federal charges related to his involvement in a Boston-area drug ring, the US Attorney's office reports.

Chapin was a part of a drug ring whose operations were disrupted last year, first by supply problems caused by Covid-19, then by a series of DEA and Boston Police raids. Chapin now faces sentencing on Aug. 25 on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base.

In an affidavit summing up a 20-month investigation into the ring, allegedly led by Kenji Drayton, a DEA investigator said that Chapin and another alleged ring member, Hassan Monroe of Quincy, shared control of a residence on Woodhaven Street in Mattapan, which they used to mix, package and store drugs for resale to other Boston-area drug dealers.

The affidavit captured a conversation the two had on Feb. 16, 2020, in which, after discussing some routine drug business, Chapin mused about his dream stash house, one where he could feel really comfortable:

Specifically, CHAPLIN stated, "I want shit everywhere." H. MONROE replied, "That's how I got it in my crib." CHAPLIN continued, "As soon as you come to the door, in the bin, under the bed, go to the next room and shut the door...boom...and then in a bag. Boom...but, I won't argue...I want one in the fucking bathroom, so matter where niggas is at, niggas can come out like... ‘what's good.'" H. MONROE replied, "[e]xactly," as CHAPLIN further explained, "Nigga, you might be taking a shit. Nigga kicking the door in...what happens... you got to try to get out to the living room, get out to my room, to the room...nah Nigga, this shit is everywhere." H. MONROE answered stating, "That nigga is tripping...this is the nigga that got a gun...a strap in Cambridge. Fucking fuck...I'm of that mind set." CHAPLIN said, "we should have an extra one" and "bring it over to the honeycomb."

The agent then translated the exchange:

Based on training and experience, I know that the term, "strap" means a firearm. I believe that CHAPLIN and H. MONROE were discussing the importance of having a gun or guns readily available and easily accessible at multiple locations within their respective domain(s) to protect themselves. To emphasize the seriousness of their conversation, CHAPLIN provided an example to H. MONROE, "Nigga, you might be taking a shit..." During this intercepted call, CHAPLIN also told H. MONROE that "we should have an extra one" to bring over to the "honeycomb." From my work on this case, I know that "honeycomb" is code for "stash house," i.e., where illicit narcotics are manufactured, weighed, and packaged in preparation for distribution.

Chaplin and Monroe were two of 24 people arrested in the June raids, along with Kenji Drayton and Drayton's brother Matthew, who ran his own drug ring, which sometimes purchased drugs at wholesale from Kenji's ring. Authorities say that when they raided the Woodhaven residence, they found more than 400 grams of cocaine, six firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition.

Chaplin is the third person associated with the raids to plead guilty, the US Attorney's office says.