TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has arrested a total of 21 people after completing a three-month-long operation – including two top leaders in a nationwide gang.
During a news conference Monday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister explained 'Operation Checkmate' aimed to disrupt and dismantle a violent gang's distribution of deadly narcotics in the county.
It all started three months prior when detectives with the sheriff's office picked up on a narcotic distribution network that was operating out of the Wimauma area.
Chronister says through the course of street-level purchases and moving to larger trafficking amounts, detectives focused on identifying the hierarchy of the group behind the drug selling.
Through the investigation, the sheriff's office was able to figure out two of the top-ranking members of the Latin Kings gang – 32-year-old Fidencio Robles and 30-year-old Omar Bravo.
Robles, one of the top five ranking Latin Kings gang members in Florida, was arrested and is reportedly facing multiple charges alongside Bravo, the head narcotics supplier for the entire state of Florida.
"These gang leaders and their counterparts are violent individuals who will not hesitate to inflict violence to get whatever they want," Chronister said.
Nineteen others were put behind bars as well.
According to the sheriff, the gang was trafficking massive amounts of narcotics "with no regard for the devastating and deadly effects their drugs have on destroying lives."
Just in the last week, multiple court search warrants were executed at five different homes in the Wimauma area that were being used as storage and distribution points by the Latin Kings for their narcotics operation, Chronister explained.
Nearly $1 million worth of narcotics were seized by law enforcement – including five kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of methamphetamine, one kilogram of heroin and two pounds of marijuana.
A total of 15 firearms, ranging from handguns to assault rifles, were also reportedly picked up during the searches.
Detectives were also able to find an organizational chart and operational bylaws for the Latin Kings, of which the sheriff says only a few copies exist.
"As a community, we can all sleep a little easier knowing these dangerous criminals are behind bars," the sheriff said. "These gang members can no longer relentlessly terrorize our community and sell drugs in the neighborhoods where our children live and play."
According to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, everyone arrested will be facing first-degree felonies with the possibility of serving major time to life in prison.
Watch the full news conference down below.