13 Latin Kings Gang Members, Associates Face Drug Charges After FL Investigation

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Law enforcement dismantled an operation by the Latin Kings after a five-months-long investigation into the gang’s drug trafficking and other organized criminal activity in communities across Hillsborough County and other areas of the Tampa Bay region.

As “Operation No Good Secrets,” four court-authorized search warrants regarding the gang’s activities were served on April 16 at locations in Brandon, Tampa, and Pasco County, as well as at Secrets Gentlemen’s Club in Town ‘n’ Country, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Thirteen people were arrested throughout the investigation, the agency said. Those arrested include seven documented Latin Kings gang members, four Latin Kings gang associates and two others tied to their criminal network.

“The Latin Kings organization is responsible for brutal violence, senseless deaths, and widespread destruction, tearing apart families, flooding communities with addiction, and leaving behind a legacy of fear, trauma, and chaos,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “They don’t just deal in drugs and weapons; they deal in devastation. Our communities deserve to feel safe, and I want gang members to know: we’re coming for you.”

Ian Dunn, 30, a known Latin Kings gang associate and 10-time convicted felon, was the primary source of drugs for this drug-trafficking network and was arrested for charges including RICO, trafficking in cocaine 200–400 grams and conspiracy to traffic in cocaine.

Julian Finlay, 39, also a known Latin Kings gang associate and key supplier working alongside Dunn, is facing charges of trafficking in cocaine, amphetamines, fentanyl, and multiple RICO-related offenses, the sheriff's office said.

Jovani Latalladi, 43, a documented Latin Kings member and five-time convicted felon, was also taken into custody and faces a multitude of charges, including felon in possession of a firearm, delivery and possession of cocaine; trafficking in cocaine 28–200 grams; trafficking in cocaine 200–400 grams; unlawful use of a two-way communications device; counterfeiting a driver's license or ID card; providing false information on a pawnbroker form; and the fraudulent creation, use, or possession of fictitious personal identification information.

Throughout the operation, detectives seized 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1.1 kilograms of cocaine, and 262 grams of fentanyl in both powder and pill form, the sheriff’s office said. Additional drugs included 682 Xanax pills, 8.2 ounces of psilocybin mushrooms, hydrocodone pills and marijuana.

Detectives also confiscated five firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun and one weapon with an obliterated serial number. Other seized assets included $14,608 in U.S. currency, a Latin Kings gang manifesto and a 2021 BMW X4 Competition Series SUV.

“This was not a low-level operation; it was an organization functioning with street-level efficiency and cartel-level supply,” Chronister said. “We will not stop. We will continue to root out and take down gangs who think they can operate in our county. We are always watching.”

The investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests and charges, including RICO and conspiracy to commit RICO, may follow.