Blocks away from a New Bedford charter school, Latin Kings members cooked crack cocaine, collected guns, shot at rivals and shot music videos where they boasted about their criminal activity, court documents allege.
Latin Kings members rented apartment buildings on Tallman Street, North Front Street and Sawyer Street, paying their landlord, an alleged associate named Robert Avitabile, in drug money and prostitutes. All three buildings are within 1,000 feet of the Global Learning Charter Public School, which serves about 500 students.
Officers seized the three stash houses Thursday morning as part of a federal operation that led to charges against more than 60 alleged Latin Kings members, including at least 46 from Massachusetts. Altogether, the houses are worth more than $805,000, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said during a news conference.
At least 28 firearms were seized, including an AR-15 rifle and a submachine gun with a silencer. Officers also took six cars, six motorcycles, three jet skis, an ATV, $38,000 in cash and various drugs.
From left to right, the "trap houses" identified as Latin Kings hubs are 104 Tallman St., 239 Sawyer St. and 358 North Front St.
Lelling said the operation identified alleged Latin Kings members in Springfield, Worcester, Fitchburg and Boston, but a lot of the search warrants focused on properties in New Bedford.
The three stash houses weren’t the only buildings where Latin Kings members prepared and sold drugs, but court documents describe them as a hub for the gang’s New Bedford chapter. Behind those doors, the Latin Kings planned attacks against rivals, convened after attacks were carried out, funneled drugs and then bragged about it in music videos, investigators said.
“Im a just shoot them, no acting n— be capping; Hit em. Relax. Then back to the trap, where I get all the packs," Orlando Santiago-Torres raps in a music video in November, a month after a 17-year-old probationary member of the Latin Kings was murdered by a rival gang, according to an affidavit.
The house at 358 North Front St. is in full view in the video.
The drug operation
Avitable, a Duxbury resident, owned and managed the properties with Jorge Rodriguez and Jose Rodriguez, two Latin King members, court documents say.
Jorge Rodriguez, also known as “King G,” allegedly handed out large amounts of drugs to high-ranking members of the Latin Kings in each house. The ranking member in each house ran the drug distribution in the stash houses, while lower-level associates and members used other apartments and common areas to sell the drugs, investigators said.
Secret video recordings offer a glimpse into what went on behind closed doors. Inside 358 North Front St., Jorge Rodriguez and other gang members are seen stirring a pot at the stove. A scale, cocaine and baking soda are visible on the counter as Rodriguez stirs, according to a screenshot in the court documents.
Another screenshot shows Michael Marrero, also known as “King Clumsy,” bagging up 62 grams of crack cocaine on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7. He broke the supply into $20 bags, investigators said.
A search warrant at an apartment within 239 Sawyer St. revealed two safes. Officers opened one of the safes, finding 21 bags of marijuana weighing 602.7 grams, 57 bags of cocaine weighing 17.1 grams, a digital scale and $1,900 in cash, according to court documents.
The violence
In October, Jose Rodriguez, N. Velazquez and Michael Cotto beat a fellow Latin Kings member to death at a nearby stash house, 104 Tallman St., according to court documents. Jose Vazquez, also called “King Fearless” was “terminated” — essentially sentenced to death — for sleeping with another member’s girlfriend, a violation of Latin Kings law, court documents say.
A probationary member, referred to as RR, was beaten up because members believed he knew about the affair and lied about it, court documents say.
The neighborhood surrounding the stash houses became the battleground for fights with rival gangs and others they targeted.
Several Latin Kings members were heard on a Feb. 10 recording at 358 North Front St. discussing plans to shoot rival gang members who had run into a stash house, court documents say. They believed the rivals, Gangster Disciples, obtained information about them through a Gangster Disciples member’s girlfriend who became involved with a Latin Kings member.
An unidentified informant shared with investigators a social media video that shows Latin Kings members exiting a car and throwing someone on the ground before punching and kicking him. The man is heard saying, “I’m not GD. I’m not GD.”
A Sept. 30 shooting on Ruth Street in November was also tied to the rivalry. Roberto Vargas is seen in surveillance footage waiving a yellow bandana to claim the turf. He and several others cross the street and enter a building, and shots are fired, according to court documents.
The victim, later identified as a rival gang member, was shot. He told police he had been robbed. Investigators said the incident stemmed from insults the victim made against the Latin Kings on social media.
After the shooting, the group reconvened at the North Front Street house. Then Jose Rodriguez called a meeting for everyone involved in the shooting at his residence, 239 Sawyer St.
The gang warfare escalated in October when the 17-year-old probationary member, referred to as P.C. in court documents, was shot dead near 104 Tallman St. Another Latin Kings member, JC, was also shot and suffered life-threatening injuries.
The music videos
The Latin Kings gangs shot promotion videos of these houses on YouTube, flashing guns, money and associates who cooked cocaine, according to screenshots shared with MassLive.
The members seen in the music videos flash gang signs or insult rival gangs. One video shows a burning red bandana, meant to insult the Bloods.
After the murder of the 17-year-old probationary member, Latin Kings members returned to the crime scene to shoot a music video.
Juan Figueroa, also known as “King Pun,” is seen surrounded by Latin King members walking by a makeshift memorial honoring the slain teenager in the music video. Figueroa threatens rival gang members and pours out liquor at the crime scene in memory of the teenager, court documents say.
Another video shows Figueroa and Cotto, also known as “King Gordo,” standing in a kitchen where a woman is stirring a pot. Investigators said she placed baking soda, a small post and plastic baggies next to the stone while cooking what appears to be cocaine base.
A screenshot of a YouTube video captured by authorities shows a woman appearing to cook cocaine. She is seen with alleged Latin Kings member Juan Figueroa.
Figueroa sits on the counter, holds up a gun and flashes a fan of cash, saying “had to sit back for a little, had to chef up the cane,” according to court documents.
For years, alleged criminal activity frustrated local law enforcement and city officials in New Bedford. Avitabile received complaints from City Hall about increasing foot traffic at the three stash houses, only to sweep them under the rug, authorities said.
According to court documents, Avitabile evicted Cotto out of a second-floor apartment at 104 Tallman St. after a drug raid to give the appearance of tackling crime in his building. Avitabile allegedly moved Cotto to another apartment in the same building as the apartment, putting Cotto’s girlfriend’s name on the paperwork.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell complained about the low bails after Hector Torres, a convicted killer and an alleged Latin Kings member, was released on low bail during a robbery case.
Mitchell told WBSM that the practice “has compromised the safety of our city, negated the hard work of our police officers, and undermined the public’s respect for the state judicial system.”
After the Latin Kings arrests were announced, Mitchell thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and local law enforcement agencies for their efforts to dismantle the network across New England.
“Over the last several years, New Bedford has made considerable progress on improving public safety citywide and the arrests today in our city will help us close the lid on violent crime in the near North End,” Mitchell said.