Nine Orlando Street Gang Members Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

Orlando, Fla. — Nine members or associates of the Respect Money Structure/Everybody Killer street gang pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Florida to federal drug-trafficking charges, the Justice Department announced on May 11, 2026.

The defendants, all tied to the RMS/EBK gang that operates primarily in the Orlando area, admitted to conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Per the department’s release, the group’s activities contributed to the flow of the synthetic opioid into Central Florida communities. The plea agreements resolve charges brought under statutes governing controlled-substance trafficking.

The scope covers nine individuals who functioned as street-level distributors and mid-level facilitators for the gang. Although exact quantities were not detailed in the announcement, the cases form part of the broader enforcement effort against gangs that move kilogram-scale shipments capable of producing tens of thousands of lethal doses.

The guilty pleas lock in convictions that carry mandatory minimum prison terms ranging from five to 40 years depending on prior records and specific conduct admitted in each plea.

The operational change is immediate: the defendants now move from pre-trial status to sentencing proceedings scheduled in the coming months. Sentencing will impose federal prison terms, supervised release, and forfeiture of assets. This closes the investigative phase for these nine and shifts focus to any remaining co-conspirators or upstream suppliers.

Downstream, the convictions require the Bureau of Prisons to allocate bed space and programming for these offenders. Federal probation officers must prepare presentence reports and monitor post-release conditions. The cases also supply intelligence that local task forces and the Drug Enforcement Administration can use to map remaining RMS/EBK distribution routes and supplier connections.

Prosecutors in the Middle District of Florida will next present the plea-derived evidence at sentencings, which in turn set precedent for penalty severity in comparable gang-related fentanyl cases.

This marks the latest federal takedown of an Orlando-based gang tied to the fentanyl trade. The Justice Department has pursued similar prosecutions against other Florida street groups since the sharp rise in synthetic opioid deaths that began in 2019, using conspiracy statutes to hold multiple layers of organizations accountable in single actions.