Last week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) announced the dismantling of a violent gang responsible for multiple crimes and instilling fear in communities across the northern end of Broward County.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office worked with BSO and a host of law enforcement partners over several years on an investigation into the Alwoods gang. The multiagency investigation revealed that the gang members sold drugs and committed multiple crimes over the past two decades.
“These gang members are connected to hundreds of cases—including violent crimes, drug trafficking and at least one fentanyl overdose death. Working with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies, my Statewide Prosecutors recovered approximately $2 million in illicit proceeds, including cash and other assets. We also seized approximately 64 kilos of deadly fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. Now, the suspects in this massive, organized-crime roundup will have to face justice,” Moody said.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said, “Violent drug gangs are a scourge on the community. Their illegal activities bring nothing but pain and suffering to neighborhoods and hard-working, law-abiding citizens. BSO detectives and deputies, along with our outstanding law enforcement partners, worked long hours in dangerous situations to take down the members of this gang and make sure they remain where they belong—in jail.”
BSO detectives began Operation Playing For Keepz in 2017 after noticing an uptick in drug overdoses, fentanyl sales and criminal activity in the area. Using various investigative techniques to build a case from the ground up, detectives targeted the Alwoods gang, a prolific group known to be operating since the 1990s. The gang is believed to have sold drugs and committed crimes throughout northern Broward and southern Palm Beach counties. Detectives served dozens of search warrants, made two dozen arrests and seized a trove of evidence to shut down the organization’s drug dealers, drug distributors and leadership.
Members of the organization are believed to be responsible for numerous criminal acts in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, including drive-by shootings, robberies, burglaries and weapons violations. Members of the Alwoods gang are suspected to be involved in homicides and attempted homicides of rival gangs. At least one member of the gang is suspected of attempting to plan the murder of a rival gang member.
Throughout the operation, detectives seized more than 40 kilos of cocaine, more than 20 kilos of heroin and fentanyl and thousands of pills. The investigation also resulted in the seizure of more than $800,000 in cash. Detectives also seized houses, cars, boats and about $1 million in gold and jewelry.
The investigation into the Alwoods gang is ongoing.
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