Top Latin Kings Gang Leaders Arrested During Wimauma Drug Bust

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Two top gang leaders of the notorious Latin Kings remain in the Falkenburg Road Jail without bail after being arrested following a three-month drug investigation dubbed "Operation Checkmate."

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, joined by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency office in Tampa, Mike Ferguson, announced the results of the operation aimed at disrupting and dismantling a violent gang's distribution of deadly narcotics in Hillsborough County.

During the effort, detectives seized drugs with a combined street value of almost a million dollars and valuable items purchased with illicit cash.

In early February, Hillsborough County sheriff's detectives became aware of an extensive narcotics distribution network operating in the Wimauma area. At the top, detectives identified two high-ranking members of the Latin Kings, one of the most prominent and violent gangs in the world, according to Chronister. He said the Latin Kings operate by aggressively trafficking massive amounts of narcotics.

"In a game of chess, checkmate is a term used when the king on a chess board can not escape; it's game over," said Chronister. "In this operation, 'Checkmate' is fitting, as the Latin Kings and their criminal cohorts did not escape. They are under arrest; it is game over for them."

Fidencio Robles, 32, of Hillsborough Street, Wimauma, and Omar Bravo, 30, of Carlton Branch Drive, Wimauma, were top-ranking members of the Latin Kings in Florida, according to the sheriff. Bravo acted as the head narcotics supplier for the state.

"These two gang members, with the help of at least 19 other criminals, were generating thousands of dollars each month by selling their poison for profit," Chronister said.

On Feb. 23, detectives and the DEA served multiple court-authorized search warrants at five homes in the Wimauma area. These homes served as storage and distribution points for the Latin Kings and their narcotics operation, Chronister said.

"These gang leaders and their counterparts are violent individuals who will not hesitate to inflict violence to get what they want," said Chronister. "They have no regard for the devastating and deadly effect their devious crimes have on our community."

Both Bravo and Robles were arrested and charged with several crimes, including armed trafficking in large amounts including 5 kilograms of fentanyl, 2 grams of cocaine, 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of heroin and 2 pounds of marijuana. They are also charged with felons in possession of firearms and ammunition, and face potential charges under the organized crime statute.

"How many overdoses and lives lost right here in Tampa can be attributed to the large amounts of fentanyl they’ve already distributed and sold?" asked Chronister."We know that this amount of fentanyl is enough to kill everyone here in Hillsborough County twice."

"Dangerous criminals must be removed from our communities and that is why. When you have violent gang members who commit new drug offenses, they must be prosecuted aggressively," Moody said.

"My office will skillfully and diligently seek justice in this case to ensure these repeat offenders are taken off our streets and put behind bars where they can no longer wreak havoc on our communities or harm innocent Floridians," she said. "As attorney general, I will always aggressively pursue this responsibility through the jurisdiction of my office to protect Floridians and our millions of visitors.”