BOSTON – A former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (“Latin Kings”) was sentenced today on racketeering and drug charges. Roberto Vargas, a/k/a “King Royalty,” 28, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
In February 2021, Vargas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, and conspiracy to distribute, manufacture and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base. The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization.
As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf. The charges against Vargas stem from a violent confrontation on Sept. 30, 2019, between members of the Latin Kings and rival gang members in New Bedford. Vargas and other Latin Kings members brandished a yellow and black Latin Kings bandanna in the territory of the rival gang, approached one of the rival gang members, and demanded his phone. During the robbery, the victim ran and a Latin Kings member chased the victim and fired one gunshot, hitting the victim in the back.
Vargas also participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy that the Latin Kings operated in multi-unit apartment buildings controlled by the gang, known as trap houses, throughout New Bedford. Recordings generated during the case captured him distributing cocaine to other Latin Kings members, as well as in a trap house with a kilogram of cocaine that was being prepared to be “cooked” into cocaine base.
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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Roberto Vargas, a former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release for racketeering and drug trafficking in Massachusetts.
Mandatory facts: Defendant/Respondent: Roberto Vargas, City and State: New Bedford, Massachusetts, Exact Date: February 2021, Sentence or Outcome: 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release, Exact Date of Crime: Sept. 30, 2019.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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