Thread: Latin Kings Leaders in Florida Arrested

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00906.html

Latin Kings Leaders in Florida Arrested

By MITCH STACY
The Associated Press
Monday, August 21, 2006; 5:47 PM


TAMPA, Fla. -- After a 14-month investigation, law enforcement officers raided a high-level meeting at a rented club and arrested every known leader of the violent Latin Kings gang in Florida, authorities said Monday.

The Sunday afternoon raid netted the arrests of 39 alleged gang leaders on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said.

The gang has been involved in major crimes ranging from drug dealing to attempted murder, Gee said. Prosecutors say additional charges could be filed.

Gee said the "extremely violent" gang has been active in the area for at least 20 years and may have ties to gangs in New York and Chicago. The Chicago Crime Commission now estimates that there are more than 20,000 Latin Kings in the Chicago area alone.

Those arrested Saturday ranged in age from 16 to 39, according to the sheriff's office. They all appeared in court Monday morning, State Attorney Mark Ober said.

Among them was the alleged statewide leader of the Latin Kings, Samuel David Alvarado, 29, also known as "King Sam," who lives in Lake Worth, the sheriff's office said. He was ordered held without bail, according to jail records.

Around 100 local officers and federal agents participated in the raid, including the Tampa police; the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local prosecutors.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/20/Tampa ... _in_.shtml

Gang raid results in arrests
At least six law enforcement agencies invade an apparent meeting of Latin Kings’ statewide leadership at a Tampa clubhouse.


By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS and MICHAEL DONILA
Published August 20, 2006



TAMPA — More than 100 officers from at least six law enforcement agencies raided what they called a statewide leadership meeting of the notorious Latin Kings gang Sunday, arresting dozens.

As authorities in gloves carried brown paper bags out of the Caribbean American Club off Interbay Boulevard and searched vehicles, one handcuffed young man flashed a sign behind his back.

Other men sporting baggy shirts of black and gold, the gang’s colors, were questioned as several young women were escorted into Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office vans.

Along with sheriff’s deputies, agents with the Tampa Police Department, the State Attorney’s Office, the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were on scene.They arrived with a search warrant at 3 p.m. and worked into the night.

“This is a culmination of a long-term investigation,” said Jose Docobo, chief deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, who said the raid was months in the making.

The secrecy surrounding the operation continued Sunday, even as the arrested people were processed into custody.
Authorities would not discuss details of the case or charges but promised an accounting today at a news conference.

Even the Caribbean American Club president, George Haylock, had no idea that the club’s building, which is routinely rented out for events, would be involved in the operation.

He learned after the raid that it was a law enforcement task force member who rented the club for a “birthday, welcome home party” for $600 in rental fees and $100 deposit. The club does not run background checks for people who rent the venue.

Haylock said agents apologized to him after the raid and that there was some “small damage” done to the building. He said he would like whoever is responsible to pay for it.

Haylock stressed that his club didn’t know that gang members were going to be there and that agents told him that they chose his venue because there are not many exits. Haylock said after Sunday’s raid that club officials will look into running reference checks on their renters.

“We’ve never had any problems, and it wasn’t our members who were involved in this,” Haylock said. “We hope people realize this. We don’t want the bad publicity.”

Docobo didn’t comment on specifics of charges, but according to the Florida Department of Corrections Web site, the gang’s main focus is “to control drug trafficking and internal gang discipline, both within the prison and community.”

The Latin Kings, the oldest and largest Hispanic-led gang with roots in Chicago, has strong ties in Tampa. Last year, the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office and the FBI identified at least 122 members in the county, making it Hillsborough’s largest gang.

They’re not afraid to make themselves known, either.

On his MySpace.com profile, Antonio Arriaga, 20, of New Port Richey boasts “kings for lyfe” on his profile and posts the gang’s five-pointed crown symbol, its crest and a video of two men making the gang sign.

Four months ago, Tampa was one of six cities in the country to receive $2.5-million in federal grants to combat gang activity. Others included Los Angeles; Cleveland; the “222 Corridor,” which stretches from Easton to Lancaster, Pa., near Philadelphia; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; and Milwaukee.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at azayas@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3354. Michael Donila can be reached at mdonila@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4160.



[Last modified August 20, 2006, 23:11:39]

Oh brother. At least they're off the street.

Thank heavens for that. What no church near by?