Luis Rodríguez Cruz and Jason Morales de Jesús, Firearms Trafficking, Puerto Rico 2021

State: Puerto Rico
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-pr/pr/individual-texas-and-felon-puerto-rico-indicted-illegal-firearms-trafficking" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico has handed down a three-count indictment against Luis Rodríguez Cruz and Jason Morales de Jesús for their alleged roles in a firearms trafficking scheme.

According to the indictment, between October 2020 and February 2021, Morales de Jesús acquired guns in Texas and sent them to Rodríguez Cruz in Puerto Rico, where he would sell them for profit.

In October 2020, Rodríguez Cruz negotiated the sale of two Glock pistols for $1,400 each in Puerto Rico. He also offered to sell a 9mm pistol with a high-capacity magazine for $1,600.

In February 2021, Morales de Jesús arranged for the shipping to Rodríguez Cruz in Puerto Rico of two Taurus pistols with obliterated serial numbers. Rodríguez Cruz then sent proceeds from firearm sales via the ATH Móvil application to Morales de Jesús using accounts belonging to third parties.

In February 2021, Morales de Jesús also arranged for the shipping to Rodríguez Cruz in Puerto Rico of a Zastava Arms pistol, three magazines, and 75 rounds of ammunition.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanette Collazo is in charge of the prosecution of the case. The U.S. Postal Inspectors and the Department of Homeland Security are jointly leading the investigation.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum of five years in prison for illegal firearm trafficking. Rodríguez Cruz faces a maximum of ten years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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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