connecticut-raids on latin kings
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connecticut-raids on latin kings
Raids In Waterbury Target Gang
With The Release From Prison Of Latin Kings Members, Authorities Track Revival Of Activities Involving Drugs, Guns
WATERBURY - Over the past year, police have begun seeing some familiar faces on the city's streets, and they aren't welcome sights.
The faces belong to members of the notorious and once powerful Latin Kings street gang, many of them sent to prison a decade ago but recently released and returning to Waterbury.
Hoping to prevent a resurgence of the gang, law enforcement officials carried out a citywide series of raids Friday, capping a 10-month undercover investigation that led to the arrests of dozens of suspected gang members and effectively "crippled" the gang's chances of regaining its foothold in Waterbury, officials said.
Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary said the raids by more than 280 local and federal law enforcement officers was meant to neutralize the gang, which in the early 1990s terrorized several Connecticut cities with violent turf wars connected to the drug trade.
In all, police have obtained warrants for 105 suspected gang members and others associated with the gang, O'Leary said. More than 80 of them have already been rounded up and charged with a wide range of offenses connected to the illegal sale of drugs and guns.
"We have dealt a devastating blow to the Latin Kings operation in Waterbury," the chief said. "We felt strongly that it was a matter of time before things might get out of control, so we wanted to get to them before it got to that point."
O'Leary said the investigation, code named "Royal Flush," led to the seizure of 35 guns and an undisclosed amount of heroin and crack and powder cocaine.
It began, he said, when police learned that numerous Latin Kings members who had once laid claim to the city's drug trade were returning to city neighborhoods after completing prison sentences handed down during the crackdowns of the 1990s.
Among the suspects who were targeted in the operation, O'Leary said, were Francisco Tellado, 31, who was identified as the head of the Latin Kings in Waterbury, and Ruperto Vicente, 54, identified as the head of the gang's "enforcement" arm, known as the Terminators.
The chief said he personally remembered Vicente from the gang wars of the early 1990s, when Latin Kings were one of a handful of gangs vying for drug territory in Waterbury, Hartford and other Connecticut cities. At the time, the chief said, it was not uncommon for members of Latin Kings and other gangs to carry out brazen drive-by shootings and other violent acts that sent local murder rates skyrocketing.
O'Leary said he particularly remembered Vicente as having ordered several shootings that took place in Meriden during the mid-1990s.
At the time, law enforcement agencies responded to the outbreak of violence by conducting federal prosecutions that led to prison sentences for high-level gang members such as Vicente, O'Leary said. He said Vicente was released from prison about a year ago, and immediately returned to his old neighborhood to help the Latin Kings resume control of the drug trade.
Throughout the course of the investigation, O'Leary said, undercover officers with Waterbury police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives purchased 33 weapons from suspected gang members. The weapons included AK-47 assault rifles, Tek-9 automatics and a large number of semiautomatic handguns.
"That's a lot of firepower," O'Leary said.
The officers also discovered a re-emerging hierarchy among the Latin Kings that was taking hold not only in Waterbury, but also in other cities, such as New Britain and New York. In all, 35 suspected members of the Latin Kings in Waterbury were targeted in the raid, most of them considered low-level "foot soldiers" who pushed drugs for the gang in various city neighborhoods, O'Leary said.
One city resident, Vijai Budhan, who lives in the south end neighborhood along South Main Street, said she was pleased that police responded so aggressively to the threat.
"I think things will get better," she said.
Among the suspects rounded up in the raids was Peter Rivera, identified as a member of the Latin Kings gang in New Britain. Also rounded up were three members of the Latin Kings gang in New York City, as well two men identified as members of another gang in Waterbury called the Bloods.
John Connelly, the state's attorney for Waterbury, said he expects that more than a quarter of those rounded up in the raids will be eligible to be charged as "persistent offenders," which could lead to prison terms of up to 30 years because of their lengthy criminal histories.
O'Leary said the raids were not carried out flawlessly, however, acknowledging that officers sometimes had incorrect addresses for some of the suspects, mostly the lower-level figures who tended to change addresses frequently.
"They're kind of more transient, so it can be hard to know for sure if you have the right address when you go to look for them," the chief said in response to reported complaints from residents that officers mistakenly raided homes of people not connected to the gangs or the drug trade.
With The Release From Prison Of Latin Kings Members, Authorities Track Revival Of Activities Involving Drugs, Guns
WATERBURY - Over the past year, police have begun seeing some familiar faces on the city's streets, and they aren't welcome sights.
The faces belong to members of the notorious and once powerful Latin Kings street gang, many of them sent to prison a decade ago but recently released and returning to Waterbury.
Hoping to prevent a resurgence of the gang, law enforcement officials carried out a citywide series of raids Friday, capping a 10-month undercover investigation that led to the arrests of dozens of suspected gang members and effectively "crippled" the gang's chances of regaining its foothold in Waterbury, officials said.
Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary said the raids by more than 280 local and federal law enforcement officers was meant to neutralize the gang, which in the early 1990s terrorized several Connecticut cities with violent turf wars connected to the drug trade.
In all, police have obtained warrants for 105 suspected gang members and others associated with the gang, O'Leary said. More than 80 of them have already been rounded up and charged with a wide range of offenses connected to the illegal sale of drugs and guns.
"We have dealt a devastating blow to the Latin Kings operation in Waterbury," the chief said. "We felt strongly that it was a matter of time before things might get out of control, so we wanted to get to them before it got to that point."
O'Leary said the investigation, code named "Royal Flush," led to the seizure of 35 guns and an undisclosed amount of heroin and crack and powder cocaine.
It began, he said, when police learned that numerous Latin Kings members who had once laid claim to the city's drug trade were returning to city neighborhoods after completing prison sentences handed down during the crackdowns of the 1990s.
Among the suspects who were targeted in the operation, O'Leary said, were Francisco Tellado, 31, who was identified as the head of the Latin Kings in Waterbury, and Ruperto Vicente, 54, identified as the head of the gang's "enforcement" arm, known as the Terminators.
The chief said he personally remembered Vicente from the gang wars of the early 1990s, when Latin Kings were one of a handful of gangs vying for drug territory in Waterbury, Hartford and other Connecticut cities. At the time, the chief said, it was not uncommon for members of Latin Kings and other gangs to carry out brazen drive-by shootings and other violent acts that sent local murder rates skyrocketing.
O'Leary said he particularly remembered Vicente as having ordered several shootings that took place in Meriden during the mid-1990s.
At the time, law enforcement agencies responded to the outbreak of violence by conducting federal prosecutions that led to prison sentences for high-level gang members such as Vicente, O'Leary said. He said Vicente was released from prison about a year ago, and immediately returned to his old neighborhood to help the Latin Kings resume control of the drug trade.
Throughout the course of the investigation, O'Leary said, undercover officers with Waterbury police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives purchased 33 weapons from suspected gang members. The weapons included AK-47 assault rifles, Tek-9 automatics and a large number of semiautomatic handguns.
"That's a lot of firepower," O'Leary said.
The officers also discovered a re-emerging hierarchy among the Latin Kings that was taking hold not only in Waterbury, but also in other cities, such as New Britain and New York. In all, 35 suspected members of the Latin Kings in Waterbury were targeted in the raid, most of them considered low-level "foot soldiers" who pushed drugs for the gang in various city neighborhoods, O'Leary said.
One city resident, Vijai Budhan, who lives in the south end neighborhood along South Main Street, said she was pleased that police responded so aggressively to the threat.
"I think things will get better," she said.
Among the suspects rounded up in the raids was Peter Rivera, identified as a member of the Latin Kings gang in New Britain. Also rounded up were three members of the Latin Kings gang in New York City, as well two men identified as members of another gang in Waterbury called the Bloods.
John Connelly, the state's attorney for Waterbury, said he expects that more than a quarter of those rounded up in the raids will be eligible to be charged as "persistent offenders," which could lead to prison terms of up to 30 years because of their lengthy criminal histories.
O'Leary said the raids were not carried out flawlessly, however, acknowledging that officers sometimes had incorrect addresses for some of the suspects, mostly the lower-level figures who tended to change addresses frequently.
"They're kind of more transient, so it can be hard to know for sure if you have the right address when you go to look for them," the chief said in response to reported complaints from residents that officers mistakenly raided homes of people not connected to the gangs or the drug trade.
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Dang Waterbury? There's a lot of section 8 housing over there etc and I noticed a lot of Spanish people, but I can't believe it's 105 suspected members? 20 members I would believe. That's a small town. They probably swooped on anything Latin I know there's a lot of Central American workers that don't have gang ties or records but are 'suspected members'.
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Waterbury(or "Dirty Water" as it's called in CT) really isnt that small. It's close to 110, 000 persons. It's definitely notCold Bear wrote:Dang Waterbury? There's a lot of section 8 housing over there etc and I noticed a lot of Spanish people, but I can't believe it's 105 suspected members? 20 members I would believe. That's a small town. They probably swooped on anything Latin I know there's a lot of Central American workers that don't have gang ties or records but are 'suspected members'.
a gangster city/town but with gentrification and all that accompanies it, you see cats trying to organize their thing in
spots that dont really fit the bill. Cold Bear, you hip to some of those upstate NY locations like Middletown, Kingston,
and Newburgh, right? Dudes pops was blue collar workers, wearing red flannels to work. Now the youth is rockin' red
and blue rags and aint thinking bout work(not that legit work anyway). Just sayin' bruh..PEACE
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Nah I'm not denying that Waterbury has its elements and rough spots, I seen them. I know people who work / live with the section 8 housing situaiton up there. My only comment was that out of 105 people they locked up there is bound to be a lot of innocents that "just fit the bill". See I know that CT is also known as being very anti-Latino and racist! That's really what I was gettin at.
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Damn, dog. I haven't even been to all those spots. I just heard stories about the white folks in Connecticut hating Puerto Ricans as a general rule. And at the same time a lot of predominantly white areas having larger numbers of Latinos every year and white people are taking issue. But hey, that's word of mouth. If you say 105 arrests is warranted in Waterbury then I won't argue with you. Sounded like a little bit of a large number for a gang sweep there.
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I really dont think 105 arrests is warranted, I was only saying it's possible to have that
level of gang activity in a smaller city. I think 105 arrests in a broke ass city like that,
in CT of all places, definitely reaks of racial profiling. Just like back in the day, when
the feds crushed the ALKN here in CT, they dropped RICO on them brothers like nothing.
Thing was, PR's wasn't screaming that loud about the racial iniquity.
level of gang activity in a smaller city. I think 105 arrests in a broke ass city like that,
in CT of all places, definitely reaks of racial profiling. Just like back in the day, when
the feds crushed the ALKN here in CT, they dropped RICO on them brothers like nothing.
Thing was, PR's wasn't screaming that loud about the racial iniquity.
100% true statement. Most of CT is lily white and "they" wanna keep it that way.And at the same time a lot of predominantly white areas having larger numbers of Latinos every year and white people are taking issue
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Re: connecticut-raids on latin kings
I didn't even see this thread until now. I had a friend who got caught up in this raid who is not even down with the nation, he was just chillin around them dudes. I dont know exactly how many in the raid is actually really down but I would assume more than a few of them was just around the scene and not really banging. But don't sleep on the Dirty Water, CT is one of the richest states but has 3 of the top 10 poorest cities. Most all of the cities get it in.. Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury all get it in.
Re: connecticut-raids on latin kings
Re Connecticut Just listen not all latinos are gang members or want to be. White people see the gangs and don't like it why would they, its time to stop all gang activity and to stop using race as a reason to be in a gang and ruin society. White people have wised up and will not continue to allow any gangs white or latino to continue to ruin this county and to destroy the minds of children by frying there brains with drugs that cause permanent damage. There are jobs to be had, hard work is good for a man and gang activity simply ruins society it won't even be fit for gang members or there families anymore and really after America is wrecked there will be no place for gangs to go to destroy. People are wise to that racist stuff and don't buy it anymore.
Re: connecticut-raids on latin kings
Всем привет ! )))) заберите меня в LA !))))
Re:
shiit u knx thats rightCold Bear wrote:Dang Waterbury? There's a lot of section 8 housing over there etc and I noticed a lot of Spanish people, but I can't believe it's 105 suspected members? 20 members I would believe. That's a small town. They probably swooped on anything Latin I know there's a lot of Central American workers that don't have gang ties or records but are 'suspected members'.
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Re: connecticut-raids on latin kings
That's a trip! I was just there. That is a small city- only when compared to a lot of California cities. I'm use to a small city being 400, 000, and a tiny city being 50, 000. Thought WBury was wonder years town, but every city has got it bad element. East coasts a trip! Knew (and seen) NY, NJ, and Boston have some really bad areas...then I saw litle 'ol Springfield, MA....DAMN!!!! Never knew a little city in the middle of nowhere could have hoody ass areas! So it doesn't surprise me about anywhere in CT having a beat hood.
Re: connecticut-raids on latin kings
what happened to the Polish Knights?