'Island Boys' rapper Franky Venegas arrested on gun, drug charges in Florida: Report
The Brief
"Island Boys" rapper Franky Venegas was arrested on gun and drug charges in Naples over the weekend.
Deputies reportedly pulled over a Corvette that Venegas was a passenger in, and found pills and a gun with no serial number.
The rapper shot to fame with his twin brother as TikTok influencers in 20201 with their viral hit "I'm an Island Boy."
NAPLES, Fla. - One of the rappers in "Island Boys" group was arrested in Naples on gun and drug charges on Sunday, according to the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
Franky Venegas, 23, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and delivering / possessing / selling a firearm with an altered serial number, the sheriff's office said in arrest records listed on their website. FOX 13 has reached out to CCSO for more information on the arrest and investigation.
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Dig deeper
TMZ has reported that Venegas was arrested at around 10 p.m. when a deputy in an unmarked vehicle pulled over a yellow Corvette leaving a gas station in Naples, and ignoring a stop sign. The Corvette's license plate tags were expired, but it was later determined the car's registration was valid and up-to-date, according to TMZ.
A woman was driving the vehicle, and she and the passenger, Venegas, were asked to get out of the car, TMZ reported.
A "plastic baggy of pills" was found on the passenger side floorboard, according to TMZ. A deputy identified them as suspected oxycodone 10mg pills, seven in total, and five Oxycodone and Acetaminophen pills.
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Venegas denied possession of the pills, but TMZ reported that he claimed to have a prescription for Oxycodone, which he didn't have with him.
A further search found a brown handbag with the lettering "MGM" on it in the passenger-side floorboard area. According to TMZ, a handgun was found in the bag, "along with a clear plastic cut straw." Credit cards with Venegas' name were also in the bag. The gun, spray-painted blue, had no identifying serial numbers, TMZ reported. In the center console of the car, a cut straw with a white powdery substance inside it was found, the report says.
Venegas was also identified during the arrest as a "documented gang member/associate," according to TMZ.
The backstory
Venegas and his twin brother, Alex, shot to fame as TikTok influencers in 2021 with their viral hit, "I'm an Island Boy."
TMZ also reported that Venegas has a criminal history that includes domestic battery arrests, reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle without a license.
The Source
The information in this story was provided by the Collier County Sheriff's Office and TMZ reports.
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