Twenty individuals have been charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in a Guaynabo, Puerto Rico-based drug trafficking ring, authorities announced today.
According to a federal indictment, the 20 defendants, who acted in various roles, including leaders, drug point owners, enforcers, runners, and sellers, conspired to distribute heroin, cocaine base, cocaine, marijuana, Oxycodone, Alprazolam, and Tramadol within 1,000 feet of the La Rosaleda Public Housing Project and other areas in Guaynabo and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The indictment alleges that the defendants, who were operating from 2013, distributed the controlled substances for significant financial gain and profit. Thirteen of the defendants are facing one charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
As part of the investigation, authorities discovered that organization members would forcefully evict individuals suspected of cooperating with law enforcement or being disloyal to the organization from their apartments at the La Rosaleda Public Housing Project. The organization would then take control of the apartments, sometimes with the acquiescence of the project’s administration.
The defendants, who include Jean Carlos Benitez-Meléndez, Santos Daniel Rondón-García, Allen Miranda-Meléndez, and 16 others, face a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison if convicted.
“This indictment and the arrests this morning are a significant victory in our efforts to combat drug trafficking and violent crime,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We will continue to conduct investigations with our counterparts to dismantle these criminal organizations and to send a clear message that drugs, firearms, and violence will not be tolerated in our neighborhoods.”
The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Puerto Rico Police Department’s Bayamón Strike Force Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa S. Zapata-Valladares is in charge of the prosecution of the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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