Eight People, to Include Five Latin Kings, Charged with Drug and Firearm Offenses

MIAMI – On July 11, the United States unsealed an indictment charging eight defendants, including five members of the Almighty Latin King gang (“Latin Kings”), with federal drug and firearm offenses. 

The twenty-six count indictment charges Dayana Garcia, 34, Eduardo Monteagudo, 41, and Armando Rodriguez, Jr., 38, all of Miami, Fla., with conspiring with Bernardo Olvera, a/k/a “King Handsome,” 35, also of Miami, to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine in Miami-Dade County.

According to allegations in the court record, to include previously filed criminal complaints, Olvera is a known member of the Latin Kings gang, as are codefendants Jerry Rodriguez, a/k/a “King Suave,” 30, of West Palm Beach, Fla., Blas Barrios, a/k/a “King Blasito,” 44, of Miami, Joshua De Paula, a/k/a “King Vision,” 28, of West Palm Beach, and Ricky Mourin, a/k/a “King Rick,” 33, of Naranja, Fla. Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula, and Mourin engaged in the illegal sale of narcotics and/or firearms on multiple occasions between January and June 2024. The indictment charges Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula, and Mourin with conspiring to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 28 grams of cocaine base throughout South Florida. 

Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, and De Paula also face federal charges for criminal conduct involving firearms. Olvera and Rodriguez, both convicted felons, are charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessing a firearm after a felony conviction. Rodriguez, Barrios, and De Paula, were also charged with firearms trafficking and possessing firearms after felony convictions, with Rodriguez facing an additional charge for unlawfully transferring a machine gun.

Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula, and Mourin were taken into custody on June 27, at locations across South Florida. They each made their initial appearances in the Southern District of Florida on June 28. If convicted, Olvera, Rodriguez, Barrios, De Paula, and Mourin each face up to life in prison. They are all currently detained.

On July 11, Garcia and Monteagudo were taken into custody in Miami and had their initial appearances in the Southern District of Florida. Garcia and Monteagudo are currently detained. Rodriguez, Jr. is pending arrest. If convicted, Garcia, Rodriguez, Jr. and Monteagudo each face up to 40 years in prison. 

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division; Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD); Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami; and U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) made the announcement.

ATF Miami Field Office, MDPD, HSI Miami and USMS Miami investigated the case and executed the arrest warrants. The Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica K. Castro is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.

An indictment and criminal complaint contain mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.

ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) was used to ascertain historical information regarding firearms. NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

This investigation was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.  The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies who, cooperatively, target the region’s drug-trafficking and money laundering organizations.  The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused the nation’s illicit drug trafficking threats. For more information regarding HIDTA visit https://www.dea.gov/operations/hidta.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20289.

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