Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On December 12, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 34 individuals with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances within the Puerto Rico prison system, and other offenses, including charges relating to four overdose deaths.
According to court documents, defendants distributed fentanyl, suboxone, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and synthetic marijuana within Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities. Members of the drug organization smuggled the drugs into the jails using unmanned aerial vehicles (“drones”) that carried packages containing the illegal substances. Other smuggling methods included the use of legal mail, family visits, official corruption/indifference, catapulting or throwing drugs into the prison yards (“picheos”), and hiding drugs inside other items brought into the prisons (e.g., PlayStations, remote controls, food items, and bags of ice).
During the time period relevant to the Indictment, the illegal substances introduced by this drug trafficking organization also caused many overdoses, including at least four overdose deaths attributed to a drug mixture containing fentanyl.
Many of the defendants arrested today were part of a prison gang known as Group 31 or “Los Tiburones”. Group 31 established and maintained control of the distribution of significant quantities of illegal substances within numerous institutions operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Those institutions included, but were not limited to: Institución Correccional Guerrero, Aguadilla; Complejo Correccional Las Cucharas Sgto. Pedro Joel Rodríguez Matos, Ponce; Institución Correccional Bayamón (501); and Institución Correccional Guayama Máxima Seguridad (1000). The defendants charged in the indictment are:
[1] Juan Carlos Ortiz-Vázquez, a.k.a. “Flaco”
[2] Cristina Guevara-Casellas
[3] Elías Martínez-Rivera, a.k.a. “Viejo-Coli”
[4] José Luis Audain-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Wichy/Negre/Doble V-W/Dobleta”
[5] Christopher Sánchez-Asencio, a.k.a. “Guayna”
[6] Moisés Mojica-Torres, a.k.a. “Moi”
[7] Ernesto Malavé-Santiago, a.k.a. “Ponce”
[8] Steve Vergeli-Negrón, a.k.a. “Bocillo”
[9] Jim Almodóvar-Quirindongo, a.k.a. “Jim Ball”
[10] Ángel Abdiel Archilla-Montalvo
[11] Efraín González-Serrano, a.k.a. “El Señor De Los Cielos/Junito”
[12] Ernesto Vargas-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Golo”
[13] Eddiber Pérez-Burgos, a.k.a. “Coamo”
[14] Abraham Rodríguez-Cruz, a.k.a. “Bebe”
[15] Alexander Alvarado-Almestica, a.k.a. “Bala”
[16] Jensen Medina Cardona
[17] Edgardo Santiago-Colón, a.k.a. “Cuco”
[18] Edwin Sánchez-Rijos, a.k.a. “Tocayo”
[19] Félix Serrano-Román, a.k.a. “Coba”
[20] Harry Acevedo-Méndez, a.k.a. “La H”
[21] Heriberto Romero-Corchado, a.k.a. “Eri”
[22] James Santana-González, a.k.a. “Pilin”
[23] Julio Vargas-Jiménez, a.k.a. “Julio Gatillo”
[24] Kervin López-Torres, a.k.a. “Beethoven/Gordo/Gemelo”
[25] Kevin Hernández-Ruiz, a.k.a. “Pesadilla”
[26] Miguel González-Concepción, a.k.a. “Omy Barber/Omy Gallina”
[27] Luis Meléndez-García, a.k.a. “Luisito Humacao”
[28] Aníbal Ramírez-Alicea, a.k.a. “Nibby/Aníbal Martínez-Alicea”
[29] Benny Rodríguez-Mercado
[30] Christian Candelaria-Feliciano, a.k.a. “Garbanzo”
[31] Donato Cortés-Matos
[32] Wesley Correa-López
[33] Milagros Jeanette Rivera-González, a.k.a. “Janet”
[34] Minerva Román-Domínguez
“Gang activity poses a grave risk of harm to our communities and within correctional institutions,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “For several years, these gang members and their associates distributed significant quantities of lethal drugs within the local prison system, through the enforcement of strict rules and violence. This indictment is the culmination of a coordinated federal and state law enforcement investigation aimed at dismantling this criminal organization.”
“This operation represents a critical step in our fight against the influx of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into Puerto Rico’s correctional facilities,” said Denise Foster, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Caribbean Division. “By dismantling this organization and disrupting their use of drones to smuggle contraband, we are not only holding criminals accountable, but also saving lives. This success highlights the power of collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies, and underscores our commitment to protecting the people of Puerto Rico from the devastating effects of drug trafficking.”
The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López Soler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison on the drug trafficking and firearm charges, and a maximum sentence of ten years for the money laundering charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is in charge of the investigation with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau Ponce Strike Force, Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Puerto Rico Department of Justice, Puerto Rico Forensic Sciences Institute, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Border Patrol, United States Customs and Border Protection, the United States Marshals Service, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge L. Matos of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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