FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that a three-month nationwide operation led to the arrest of 50 members of the notorious Latin Kings gang, along with the seizure of $200,000 and 10 kilograms of illegal drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl.
"For the last 3 months, the FBI has quietly executed Operation Broken Crown … a sweeping violent gang takedown involving 13 field offices targeting the Latin Kings Gang – members [who] were publicly threatening law enforcement officers," Patel wrote on X.
"We’re breaking the violent gang network in America. This comes after 2025 when the FBI had a 210% increase in gang takedowns of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. Weeks into 2026 and we’re not stopping."
The Latin Kings, originally formed in Chicago, are among the largest Hispanic street and prison gangs in the world. The group adheres to a national manifesto, employs an internal judiciary, and uses a sophisticated communications system to maintain its hierarchy. Authorities have linked the gang to drug trafficking, murder and money laundering.
The arrests are the latest in a series of cases involving alleged Latin Kings members.
On Jan. 20, the Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of Nester Fabian Londono, an illegal alien from Colombia and an alleged associate of the Latin Kings. Londono was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter, smuggling heroin and DUI, according to DHS.
On Jan. 16, Raul Gutierrez, 33, of Minneapolis, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of government property after allegedly breaking into an FBI vehicle and stealing a rifle. The incident occurred Jan. 14, when FBI and DHS personnel were forced to abandon their vehicles amid civil unrest caused by anti-immigration enforcement protesters in Minneapolis.
On Oct. 6, Juan Espinoza-Martinez, an illegal alien from Chicago, was arrested and charged with murder-for-hire for allegedly placing a $10,000 bounty on Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino. A federal jury acquitted Espinoza-Martinez on Jan. 22, but less than 24 hours later, he was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for deportation proceedings.
In August, ICE announced the arrests of 356 illegal alien gang members in the Houston area during the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term. Six were alleged members of the Latin Kings, including Luis Alberto Hernandez, 46, a Mexican national who ICE said illegally entered the U.S. three times and had been convicted four times for domestic violence, three times for illegal reentry, twice for aggravated assault, and once each for drug trafficking, unlawful possession of a firearm, obstructing police, disorderly conduct, drug possession, interfering with a 911 emergency call and child abuse.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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