Xavier Valentin-Soto, Narcotics Conspiracy, Massachusetts 2020

New Bedford Latin Kings Leader Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Conspiracy Charges

BOSTON – A former leader of the New Bedford Chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation pleaded guilty today to drug conspiracy charges.

Xavier Valentin-Soto, a/k/a ‘King X,’ 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel, who scheduled sentencing for Dec. 16, 2020.

Valentin-Soto was charged in December 2019, while serving a related sentence in state prison. Prior to his incarceration on the state charges, Valentin-Soto was the Cacique (or second-in-command) of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings.

During the plea proceedings, Valentin-Soto admitted that he conspired with other Latin Kings members and leaders to distribute cocaine and cocaine base in and around New Bedford. As Cacique, Valentin-Soto held a leadership role in the drug distribution conspiracy that the Latin Kings maintained in and around multiple trap houses throughout the north side of New Bedford.

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.

According to court documents, Valentin-Soto was arrested in July 2017, when local police executed a search warrant at a Latin Kings trap house in north New Bedford and located cocaine and materials for the packaging and distribution of controlled substances. Valentin-Soto was charged in state court, but released after posting bail. While on pretrial release for the state charges, Valentin-Soto sold a total of 160 grams of cocaine powder to a cooperating witness over the course of three recorded purchases in early 2019.

Pursuant to the terms of the plea agreement, Valentin-Soto faces a sentence of 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million.

Xavier Valentin-Soto, a former leader of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was charged in December 2019 and faces a sentence of 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Mandatory Facts: Xavier Valentin-Soto, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, BOSTON, Massachusetts, 2020, 65 months in prison and three years of supervised release, $1 million fine.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-leader-new-bedford-latin-kings-chapter-pleads-guilty-narcotics-conspiracy-charges