Patel Announces Arrests of 50 ‘Latin Kings’ Gangbangers In Nationwide Sweep

Federal authorities announced Friday that nearly 50 members and associates of the violent Latin Kings street gang have been arrested in a coordinated, multistate law-enforcement sweep aimed at dismantling organized criminal networks fueling drugs, guns, and violence nationwide.

The crackdown, known as “Operation Broken Crown,” was carried out over a three-month period beginning in October 2025 and involved more than a dozen FBI field offices working alongside federal, state, local, and tribal law-enforcement agencies.

According to officials, the operation resulted in the seizure of more than a dozen firearms, nearly $200,000 in illicit cash, and over 10 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl, and other dangerous narcotics—dealing a significant blow to gang-led trafficking operations.

FBI Director Kash Patel credited the success of the operation to decisive leadership at the top and a renewed federal commitment to public safety under President Donald Trump’s second term.

“Under President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, this FBI is dismantling violent gang networks in America at a record clip — breaking their operations and saving lives in the process,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News.

“In 2025 we saw a 210% increase in gang takedowns from MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, and now just weeks in to 2026, we’re announcing another 3 month takedown operation,” he continued.

Patel said the bureau “will continue working 24/7 to crush violent crime and eliminate networks facilitating harm on the American people.”

Those arrested face a wide range of charges, including federal firearms and narcotics offenses. In some cases, alleged Latin Kings members were also charged in separate incidents, including federal complaints connected to the theft of a rifle from an FBI vehicle during a prior enforcement action.

Additional enforcement actions in January led to further arrests in the Milwaukee area, where law-enforcement officers executing search warrants detained suspected gang members on drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession charges, seizing more weapons and cash.

Federal officials described the Latin Kings as one of the largest and most entrenched street gangs operating across multiple states, emphasizing that the arrests represent a deliberate effort to fracture its leadership, disrupt its funding streams, and weaken its criminal footprint.

Earlier this month, Patel also praised agents in Illinois after more than 60 individuals were arrested in just one week as part of the Justice Department’s broader anti-crime initiative. In that operation, 63 offenders were taken into custody, along with the seizure of 2.5 pounds of narcotics and $15,000 in cash.

That mission, carried out in the Southern District of Illinois, involved a joint effort by the FBI, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Illinois State Police, ATF Chicago, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Great work [FBI Springfield] and partners,” Patel noted on X. “60+ arrests in just 7 days and American streets safer because of it. FBI continues to have a historic year coordinating with LEO’s across the country and cracking down on crime.”

Officials said the arrests are part of a larger nationwide strategy to confront violent crime, drug distribution, and extremist threats head-on.

“Operations like this reflect the strength that comes from close cooperation among law enforcement agencies,” FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson said. “By working together, we are able to locate and apprehend individuals who drive violent crime into our communities.

“The successful arrests made during this sweep represent FBI Springfield’s continued commitment to crushing violent crime and keeping our neighborhoods safe,” he added.

In a separate announcement this month, federal authorities revealed they had disrupted a credible terrorist threat by arresting four alleged members of a radical pro-Palestinian extremist group accused of plotting coordinated bombings in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve.

The FBI told Fox News Digital that the suspects identified themselves as members of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), a group driven by pro-Palestinian, anti-law enforcement, and anti-government ideologies.

Taken together, the operations underscore a renewed federal emphasis on law and order—targeting violent gangs, transnational drug networks, and domestic extremist threats as the administration pushes to restore public safety across the country.