Matawan Man A Latin King Member, Charged In Drug Ring, Feds Say

MATAWAN, NJ — On Thursday, federal prosecutors announced they dismantled a drug- and gun-trafficking ring associated with the Latin Kings criminal gang, and which had members in Carteret, Old Bridge and Matawan.

Eight of the men named in the ring have been taken into federal custody, except for the Matawan man: Christopher Soto, 30, of Matawan, remains at large, said U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger. Federal agents said they recovered four illegal guns in Soto's Matawan home.

They did not say where specifically in Matawan his home is located.

Beginning in May 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating a network selling cocaine and fentanyl in New Jersey, and bringing in illegal guns from out of state.

Many of the men involved are members or associates of the "Almighty Latin Kings & Queens Nation," commonly known as the “Latin Kings," said Sellinger.

They operated largely in neighborhoods in Elizabeth and Carteret, said the feds. However, police in Plainfield, Elizabeth, Perth Amboy, Woodbridge and Scotch Plains all participated in this investigation — so there were connections to all of those towns.

Federal prosecutors say the men sold fentanyl and cocaine and trafficked illegal firearms, including what law enforcement calls “ghost guns," as they are unable to be tracked with a manufacturer's serial number.

According to U.S. Attorneys, the following are members and associates of the Latin Kings street gang:

• Justin Aponte, 28, of Elizabeth
• Victor Barrios, 28, of Bayonne
• Jose Fontanez, 28, of Carteret
• Jonathan Lakomy, 32, of Ringwood
• Christian Rodriguez, 32, of Chesterfield, Virginia
• Jeziel Romero, 27, of Old Bridge
• Christopher Soto, 30, of Matawan
• Angel Valentin, 34, of Carteret
• Ian Wooten, 30, of Carteret

Investigators also determined that Aponte was conspiring with Rodriguez to traffic firearms from Virginia to New Jersey. In one meeting between Aponte, Rodriguez and an undercover law enforcement agent at a location in Virginia, Rodriguez agreed to sell several firearms to Aponte. Subsequently, Aponte told the undercover agent that the firearms were ready to be transported from Rodriguez to Aponte and then sold to the agent.

From May 2022 to December 2022, law enforcement officers seized from the network:

• More than 15,000 individual doses of fentanyl
• Approximately 14 grams of cocaine base
• 26 firearms including 24 ghost guns
• Three machine gun conversion devices, which are parts designed to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun.

Law enforcement officers said they found substantial quantities of fentanyl and cocaine at homes in Elizabeth and Carteret and elsewhere. Fontanez, Romero, Valentin and Wooten were identified as responsible for street-level distribution of the fentanyl and cocaine.

A final search just done this Wednesday, Jan. 4, revealed:

• Four more firearms, 3,500 individual doses of suspected fentanyl, a separate 125 grams of suspected powdered fentanyl, and narcotics packaging materials from Lakomy’s home in Ringwood and
• 5,000 individual doses of suspected fentanyl, two firearms, including a Springfield model XD 9mm semiautomatic handgun, and a Smith & Wesson model SD40 VE .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun, and six Glock-brand firearm slides and 100 bricks of suspected fentanyl from Wooten’s home in Carteret.

“The charges we’re announcing today describe an illegal network that was actively distributing guns and drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine, around New Jersey,” Sellinger said Thursday. “In addition to bringing illegal weapons into New Jersey from other states, these defendants are charged with manufacturing untraceable gun parts that could be used to convert weapons for automatic firing. Thanks to the excellent work of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we’ve dealt a substantial blow to this criminal operation.”