Former Hot Boys Gang Member Arrested On Drug Trafficking Charges in Tampa

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Special Investigations Division (SID) Gang Unit has detained a criminal on probation for trafficking deadly drugs as part of a massive crackdown on drug trafficking. The five-month operation culminated in the capture of Kenneth Young, 38, a former member of the now-defunct Hot Boys gang.

HCSO detectives conducted many undercover transactions as part of the covert narcotics investigation, which resulted in the acquisition of more than 10 grams of cocaine from Young. The careful preparation and execution of the detectives highlighted how dangerous Young’s actions in the neighborhood were.

The HCSO Major Violator’s Unit, District V Patrol deputies, and Gang Unit detectives coordinated an operation to apprehend Young on Friday, December 29, 2023, which resulted in the arrest. The Circle K Gas Station, at 410 S. 50th St. in Tampa, was the site of the operation.

Young intended to deliver two ounces of cocaine when he pulled up in a black Mercedes Benz. Detectives moved in to arrest him as he got out of his car and went into the gas station. Young attempted to escape on foot but was apprehended without any further problems.

A follow-up search of his car turned up $3,389 in US cash, 27.0 grams of 10 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride, 58.5 grams of powder cocaine, and 7.6 grams of powdered substance that was believed to be unknown.

Delivery and Possession of Cocaine, Trafficking in Cocaine, Trafficking in Oxycodone, and Violation of Probation (VOP) for Robbery with a Firearm are among the numerous allegations that Young is currently facing. He had a lengthy criminal past, having served 17 years in Federal State Prison for crimes of grand theft and robbery. Young’s felony probation was supposed to end in June 2031, even though he was released on parole in July 2021.