‘Operation Kings Fall’ yearlong investigation into drug trafficking, violence nets 22 arrests

22 charged after store turned into crime ring hub

Nearly two dozen people have been arrested on a long list of charges in a large drug investigation dating back almost a year, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said Wednesday. Evan Axelbank reports.

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - Nearly two dozen people have been arrested on a long list of charges in a large drug investigation dating back almost a year, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said Wednesday.

Operation Kings Fall

The backstory:

At a news conference on Wednesday morning, Nienhuis said Operation Kings Fall began in October 2024.

The investigation initially focused on Super Saver Food Store, formerly known as Kings, on E. Jefferson St. in Brooksville. Detectives say the neighborhood south of downtown Brooksville was under siege by gang activity that stemmed from a local store.

"I can tell you from a lot of hours of surveillance that we did," said Sgt. William Harper of HCSO. "It wasn't very often we saw people walking out with actual merchandise."

News conference large Hernando drug investigation

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis gave details Wednesday on "Operation Kings Fall," which dates back to October 2024 and has led to 22 arrests.

Deputies pulled over the store's owner, Mohamad Hasan, saying he was found to be making payments for illegal gambling – which led to fights, shootings, and drug deals.

Nienhuis said the operation involved extensive surveillance and undercover operations, totaling at least 8,700 "man hours" since last fall.

Detectives uncovered a "deeply embedded and highly organized criminal organization" within the city of Brooksville, according to the sheriff. He said the suspects were involved in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, weapons possession, and a "tremendous amount of violence."

That violence included shootings at Super Saver on Feb. 17 and July 17, 2025, along with an armed robbery on July 23. Deputies say the storefront was used for making music videos, showing off guns and sometimes, ordering two people to fight, and then gambling on who would win.

"That was the main hub of where everything was occurring," said Harper. "Just about every individual we mentioned was hanging out there selling narcotics there, a lot of violent acts happened there."

Pictured: Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis speaks at a news conference in Brooksville on Sept. 10, 2025.

Over the course of the investigation, Nienhuis said detectives seized more than $100,000 worth of cocaine, $5,000 worth of fentanyl, Xanax, nine guns, and $8,300 in cash.

"When these shots are fired and this violence occurs, innocent people who live in that area who have been begging us for years to do something about this," Nienhuis said. "But ultimately, they're not always willing to help us because of the violence and the fear of reprisals and things like that so it was very difficult to infiltrate these types of organizations, but we do it to make a level playing field for the businesses in that area."

Dig deeper:

The investigation was supported by grants from the Florida SAFE Program, which supports local law enforcement as they work to bust drug rings.

Statewide, there have been 169 investigations leading to the arrests of more than 2,200 people. Detectives have also seized more than 500 pounds of fentanyl, 3,000 pounds of meth, $5 million in cash, and 730 guns.

What's next:

A total of 22 suspects face a combined 67 charges in this case, ranging from drug trafficking to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO). All are being held without bond.