Federal and state authorities managed today, Wednesday, the dismantling a powerful gang of drug trafficking which, since 2016, operated in three public housing in San Juanlinking him to at least 20 murders and having moved $58 million in illegal drugs in and out of Puerto Rico.
On May 17, a grand jury indicted 41 gang members for charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violationsreported this morning the deputy chief of the federal prosecutor’s officeHéctor Ramírez, at a press conference.
Of the 41 accused and with arrest warrants, 19 were already in the custody of the authorities, 17 were arrested today and five remain fugitives, indicated, for his part, the special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBIin English), Joseph Gonzalez.
Among those arrested, González added, there are “several important drug trafficking leaders in Puerto Rico,” such as Héctor Luis Santiago Medina, alias “Gordo Casco,” and Luis Daniel García Hernández, alias “Luisda.” Last year, he had been arrested Carlos Manuel Cotto Cruz, alias “Wasa,” whom federal agents identified as the gang leader presumably disjointed. Ramírez declined to comment on whether Cotto Cruz cooperates with authorities.
There are no minors among those charged or arrested.
According to the indictment, for the past six years, the gang distributed “hundreds of kilograms” of heroin, “crack”, 350 kilos of cocaine, marijuana and controlled drugs such as Percocet, Xanax and Suboxone in the Vista Hermosa, Villa España and Luis Llorens Torres residential complexes and bordering areas. The goal of the conspiracy was to operate a drug trafficking organization to distribute drugs in multiple areas of San Juan, as well as ship it to the United States for “significant financial gain.”
Ramírez highlighted that, during the investigation, members of the gang received shipments of narcotics in boats from Venezuela y Dominican Republic. In addition, they transported and distributed cocaine from Puerto Rico to USAmainly on the east coast, in cities such as Orlando (Florida), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and Newark (New Jersey).
They rented properties
The Deputy Chief of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office added that, as part of the conspiracy, co-conspirators They used abandoned apartments in the developments to prepare drugs for distribution. They also rented private properties through platforms such as Airbnb.in order to use them as “safe places” to store heroin, cocaine, crack, cash, weapons and ammunition without being detected.
“Where ‘Wasa’ was arrested, in March 2021, it was a rented property. We had not seen this modality that this organization was using before”Ramírez illustrated, after mentioning that the defendants “acted in different roles”, such as leaders and suppliers, gunmen, brokers, sellers, “lookouts” and facilitators.
“They used force, violence and intimidation to maintain control of the areas where they operated. They had meetings to discuss the operations of the drug trafficking organization and to plan violent acts against members of their own gang or rival gangs, including multiple murders,” he said, after indicating that these violent deaths were in San Juan and nearby towns.
Ramirez neither denied nor confirmed that those accused and arrested today are directly or indirectly related to the recent spate of violent deaths on the island. “If it is confirmed that they are part of today’s murders, they will be brought to justice,” he said.
Among the murders that are attributed to the gang, is that of three police officers, one state and two municipal Carolina, which occurred in January 2021, during a chase in Isla Verde. According to González, due to these facts, the leaders of the organization ordered the death of David E. Rivera Batiz, who was one of its members, “because he heated up the Lloréns Torres residence”. Rivera Batiz was found dead with a sign identifying him as responsible for the crime against the police.
Another event linked to the bargain is the shooting attack against policeman Waldemar Burgos, which occurred last April 2 in Vista Hermosa, González said. “We made a commitment that We did not leave Vista Hermosa until those responsible for the attack on Waldemar Burgos were in custody., and give higher priority to the investigation that brings us here to dismantle this violent gang that has done so much damage to the community. We remain committed to working hand-in-hand with our law and order colleagues to address the issue,” said the FBI special agent in charge.
Along the same lines, the commissioner of the Police Bureau, Anthony Lopezhighlighted that “the arrest was achieved” of Pedro Victor Nieves Hernandezalias “Pedrito”, whom he identified as a participant in the attack against Burgos, “who is still recovering at the Medical Center today.”
What are they exposed to?
Of the 41 indicted by the grand jury, 26 face a charge of possession of firearms to promote a drug crimeRamirez detailed.
He added that two other defendants, Santiago Medina and Keyshla Michelle Rodríguez Acevedo face charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, since they allegedly carried out financial transactions with drug money “to disguise and maintain control of illicit profits.” For example, they would have bought vehicles, presented false financial documents and made false financial statements to institutions to receive loans. The vehicles, in turn, were registered in the name of co-conspirators.
In total, since 2016, the bargain moved $58,151,800a calculation that Ramírez called “conservative”.
The defendants face, depending on their charges, from 10 to 15 years in prison to life in prison.
“Today, the residents of Vista Hermosa, Villa España, and Luis Llorens Torres can be calmer in their communities,” said Ramírez, who stressed that the defendants are presumed not guilty until proven not guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.
At the press conference, the secretary of the Department of Public Safety, Alexis Torreshighlighted that the dismantling of the gang It is a product of “teamwork” between federal and state authorities.
López expressed, for his part, that the agencies are “more united than ever.” “We go after anyone who thinks he is above the law. Puerto Rico is the land of the good and we are going to turn it into the country that we all yearn for,” he pointed out.