Helmer Colón-Figueroa, Gun Trafficking, FL 2018

Helmer Colón-Figueroa, Erick Cotto-Romero, and Luis Estrada-Rivera are staring down a 13-count federal indictment accusing them of running a black-market gun pipeline from Florida to Puerto Rico. A federal grand jury handed up the charges on February 8, 2018, marking a major strike in the DOJ’s ongoing push against illegal arms networks flooding the island with weapons.

The indictment alleges the trio conspired to buy firearms legally in Florida, smuggle them across state lines to Puerto Rico, and sell them for profit—outside the boundaries of any licensed dealer operation. Authorities say the operation wasn’t petty resale—it was a structured trafficking ring designed to exploit loopholes and arm violent networks on the island.

Colón-Figueroa faces additional heat: he’s charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Prosecutors are also pushing for the forfeiture of nine pistols, seven rifles, and a $47,300 money judgment tied directly to the illegal sales. If convicted, each defendant could spend up to five years behind bars for dealing without a license—and up to 10 years for possession of a machine gun or firearm by a felon.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led the investigation, tracking patterns in straw purchases and cross-border transport. Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Acevedo-Hernández is prosecuting the case, underscoring federal resolve to dismantle underground arms networks feeding violence in Puerto Rico.

In a separate but equally brutal case, Adriel Carrasquillo-Carmona was arrested by Puerto Rico Police on February 4, 2018, after allegedly carjacking a 70-year-old man with savage force. On February 3, Carrasquillo-Carmona attacked the victim with a sledgehammer, striking his head and body multiple times, stealing $800, a cell phone, and the man’s gray 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass. The FBI has since taken jurisdiction.

Carrasquillo-Carmona now faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy is leading that prosecution. United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez pledged continued collaboration between federal and state agencies: “We will continue to work tirelessly… to fight the wave of crime that is alarming our communities in Puerto Rico.” Indictments are not evidence of guilt—defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.