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62 Gang Members Charged in $72M Crack Cocaine Bust
A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico has returned an indictment charging 62 violent gang members from the municipality of Arecibo with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The indictment alleges that from 2014 through the present, the defendants worked as part of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) that distributed illegal drugs for significant financial gain and profit — including cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), heroin, cocaine, marihuana, Oxycodone (commonly known as Percocet), Alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax), Clonazepam (commonly known as Klonopin), and Tramadol – all within 1,000 feet of the Ramón Marín Solá Public Housing Project (“PHP”), the Trina Padilla de Sanz PHP, the Manuel Zeno Gandía PHP, the Bella Vista PHP, and La Meseta PHP, all five facilities owned by a public housing authority and collectively referred to as “El Cotto.”
“Thanks to the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and our state and local partners, more than 60 alleged gang members and over $72 million in drugs have been seized in this operation,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The residents of public housing projects deserve better than to be terrorized by violent drug trafficking gangs, and the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to dismantle the gangs that fuel violent crime and profit from poisoning our communities.”
According to the indictment, the defendants were part of a DTO that distributed cocaine base, heroin, cocaine, marihuana, Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, and Tramadol within 1,000 feet of five public housing facilities in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The indictment alleges that the defendants worked together to possess and distribute these controlled substances for significant financial gain and profit.
“The arrests in this case underscore the resolve of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners to uphold the rule of law and bring to justice violent criminals who threaten our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “The Department of Justice remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantle criminal organizations, hold gang members accountable, and pursue justice for victims.”
The indictment charges the defendants with a range of crimes, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations. The charges carry significant penalties, including up to life imprisonment for the conspiracy charge.
The case is the result of an investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), Arecibo Strike Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with the collaboration of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bayamón Municipal Police, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Puerto Rico Public Housing Authority, and the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“The allegations in today’s indictments tell a scary story about gang violence in these public housing communities,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “For all the innocent residents who are trying to raise healthy families in safe communities, law enforcement wants you to know that we are here for you. Living in public housing cannot, and should not, mean being subjected to an atmosphere of gun violence and drug dealing around you and your family. ATF’s number one priority is getting the worst criminals – the trigger pullers and drug dealers – off the streets. When rival gangs declare war on each other in the streets in any city, it is the innocent bystanders that suffer the greatest consequences.
“Through the relentless collaboration, between the DEA, ATF, state and federal partners have dealt significant blows to the violent drug trafficking organizations operating within the El Cotto public housing project,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Denise Foster. “With over $72 million in street value narcotics seized and over 40 arrests made, our joint efforts underscore our unwavering commitment to dismantling criminal enterprises and safeguarding our communities.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael W. Louzande and Marisol Morales.
Names of the defendants are not provided as the article is based on publicly available information and the names of the defendants are not included in the original source.
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Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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