FBI nabs 50 Latin Kings in 'Operation Broken Crown' after 3-month sweep
WASHINGTON (TNND) — A three month operation led by the FBI targeting the Latin Kings Gang has led to the arrests of 50 violent gang members and the seizure of $200,000 in assets and ten kilograms in illicit narcotics including cocaine and fentanyl.
FBI Director Kash Patel celebrated the success of “Operation Broken Crown,” involving the collaboration of 13 field offices with other federal, state and local law enforcement partners, on his X account.
“We’re breaking the violent gang network in America,” Patel wrote on X.
“This comes after 2025 when the FBI had a 210% increase in gang takedowns of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. Weeks into 2026 and we’re not stopping.”
Founded in Chicago, Illinois, Latin Kings Gang is one of the largest Hispanic street gangs.
Patel noted that Latin Kings Gang members have been making violent threats toward federal law enforcement officers.
Back in October, around the start of the operation, a gang member was arrested after he put a bounty on Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, offered a $10,000 award to anyone who could “take him down,” referring to Bovino.
And just a few weeks ago, an alleged Latin Kings Gang member was federally charged after breaking into an FBI vehicle and stealing a rifle in Minnesota.
