Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution secured a 25-year prison sentence for a Latin King gang member for participating in a massive drug trafficking organization.
The operation trafficked dangerous drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, from the Mexican Cartel to Sur-13 gang members in Florida prisons. Johnny Cisnero bought drugs from the SUR-13 members to be trafficked throughout Hendry County. Cisnero is the first to be sentenced out of 25 defendants involved with the drug ring. The Honorable Circuit Judge James D. Sloan sentenced Cisnero to 25 years in prison.
“A Latin King gang member involved in a massive drug ring working with the Mexican drug cartel is now sentenced to 25 years in prison, thanks to our Statewide Prosecutors and dedicated law enforcement partners,” Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody said. “In this case, authorities seized enough fentanyl to kill more than 11 million Floridians. Lethal substances are flooding into our country due to Biden’s disastrous open border and we must continue to be dogged in our efforts to interdict this poison and aggressively prosecute traffickers.”
According to the investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, members of the SUR-13 gang, also known as Sureños, operated the drug trafficking organization from behind bars.
At times, working with fellow gangs MS-13 and the Latin Kings, the criminal organization’s ruling body—called the Mesa—authorized member requests to execute other inmates and continue the distribution of drugs sourced from Mexico and California. Using contraband cellphones, members of SUR-13 contacted each other from different prisons throughout the state, including Brevard County, Charlotte County, Holmes County and Miami-Dade County.
Latin King Gang members also kept contact with area drug dealers outside the prisons to facilitate drug shipments and deliveries. Cisnero was one of the drug dealers operating outside of the prison trafficking drugs, primarily methamphetamine.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities seized more than 50 pounds, or 23.59 kilograms, of fentanyl, 380 pounds, or 172.37 kilograms, of methamphetamines and approximately five pounds, or 2.2 kilograms, of cocaine.
Other defendants include: Hugo E. Cruz, aka Houdini; Carlos H. Martinez, aka Carlos Maya-Reyes, aka Indio; Rachel Gonzalez, aka Loka; Adolfo Magana, Jr.; Brayn L. Trejo; Dennis A. Perkins; Reba B. Perkins; Juan Carlos Cruz, aka Spider, aka Arana; Joseph W. Whitehead, Jr.; Juan S. Guijosa, Jr.; Omar Hernandez; Valentin Gomez; Esmeralda Guevara; Andres Bustamante; Franklin Guillen Lara; Jose Francisco Ramirez, aka Chico; Ruben Quinones, aka Yago; Efren Berumen, aka Brownie, aka Brown Aguila; Jonathan Martinez aka J-Blue; Stephanie Martinez, aka Lady Blue; Thomas E. Busby, II, aka Gutta; Mary Osorio; Jose F. Martinez, aka Guapo; Gregory Enegess, aka Poet.
These defendants are awaiting trial.
Attorney General Moody’s OSP charged Cisnero with two counts of conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine over 200 grams. Attorney General Moody’s Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Tim Donnelly and Agnieszka Thomas prosecuted the case.
