La Rompe ONU Leaders Convicted in Puerto Rico Massacres

Three leaders of the Puerto Rico-based drug cartel La Rompe ONU were convicted late yesterday after a 17-day federal trial in San Juan. Rubén Cotto-Andino, a.k.a. ‘Rubén El Negro’, José D. Resto-Figueroa, a.k.a. ‘Tego’, and Carlos Velázquez-Fontánez were found guilty of RICO violations, drug trafficking, and multiple counts of murder, including two notorious drive-by shootings that terrorized public housing complexes in the capital.

The jury returned a damning verdict against Cotto-Andino, who prosecutors say operated as the head of La Rompe ONU’s drug operations at Jardines de Cupey and Brisas de Cupey. Under his direction, the gang flooded public housing with narcotics while enforcing brutal control through violence. Resto-Figueroa, identified as an enforcer, was directly linked to the ‘Jardines de Cupey Massacre’ on August 28, 2012, when rival members Luis Ojeda-Andino (‘Pollo’), Luis Velázquez-Aquino (‘Urraca’), and José Ayala-García were gunned down in a hail of bullets.

Even more explosive: the conviction of Carlos Velázquez-Fontánez, an active-duty San Juan Municipal Police Agent at the time of the crimes. Authorities say he didn’t just shield the gang—he armed it. Velázquez-Fontánez supplied La Rompe ONU with ammunition and participated in the June 25, 2011 ‘Tortuguero Massacre,’ where Edwin Díaz-Cruz, Hervin Valcarcel-Martínez (‘Prieto’), Javier Catala-Bermúdez, and Orlando Meléndez-Villegas were executed in a drive-by shooting that left bodies strewn across a residential street.

Prosecutors painted a picture of a gang that ruled through fear, corruption, and firepower. Over weeks of testimony, cooperating witnesses, forensic experts, and law enforcement laid bare the inner workings of La Rompe ONU, linking seized firearms, narcotics, and ballistic evidence directly to the defendants. The government proved beyond reasonable doubt that these men weren’t just members—they were architects of terror.

‘The Rompe ONU gang ruled certain neighborhoods in San Juan, spreading violence and fear in their communities,’ said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. ‘This extensive investigation has taken dangerous Rompe ONU leaders, members and associates off the streets and put them in prison, where they belong. Violent street gangs should take note, and know that we are determined to break their grip on our communities, and that they will face justice for their crimes.’

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alberto López-Rocafort and Victor O. Acevedo-Hernández. With convictions on RICO, drug conspiracy, and multiple firearm-enhanced murder charges, Rubén Cotto-Andino, José D. Resto-Figueroa, and Carlos Velázquez-Fontánez now face mandatory sentences of up to life in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Jay García Gregory in the coming months.