Eight individuals have been charged with federal drug and firearm offenses, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday. The Department of Justice announced that among those charged are five members of the Almighty Latin King gang, also known as the Latin Kings. The charges involve conspiring to distribute significant amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as firearm-related offenses.
The indictment, which consists of twenty-six counts, names Dayana Garcia, Eduardo Monteagudo, and Armando Rodriguez, Jr., all based in Miami, Florida. Their charges include conspiring with Bernardo Olvera, known as "King Handsome,” to quickly distribute over 500 grams of cocaine in Miami-Dade County, as noted on the DOJ's website. Jerry Rodriguez, "King Suave," Blas Barrios, "King Blasito," Joshua De Paula, "King Vision," and Ricky Mourin, "King Rick," are also implicated in the indictment for crimes ranging from narcotics sales to firearms trafficking in South Florida.
Olvera, along with fellow defendants, is accused of participating in the illegal sale of narcotics and firearms from January to June 2024. If convicted on these charges, individuals such as Olvera, Jerry Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula, and Mourin could potentially face life imprisonment. They were apprehended on June 27, 2024, and made their first court appearances the following day in the Southern District of Florida. The arrests and subsequent charges have come after an investigation executed by the ATF Miami Field Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with assistance from the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office.
Additional charges against Olvera and Jerry Rodriguez include unlawfully possessing firearms as convicted felons and engaging in a drug trafficking crime. Barrios and De Paula have been charged likewise, with Rodriguez facing an extra charge for the unlawful transfer of a machine gun. All the accused are currently detained, awaiting further proceedings, with Rodriguez, Jr., pending arrest. As the DOJ states, criminal complaints are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For those seeking more information, details of the press release and related court documents can be found on the official websites of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
