Otoniel Ortiz-Acevedo, Drug Trafficking, Puerto Rico 2015

15 Individuals Charged with Drug Trafficking in Bayamón, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico has returned a six-count indictment against 15 defendants charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, controlled substances.

The indictment alleges that beginning in 2009, the organization distributed heroin, crack, cocaine, marijuana, Oxycodone (commonly known as Percocet), and Alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax) within 1,000 feet of a real property comprising Los Laureles Public Housing Project and other areas nearby and within the Municipality of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, all for financial gain and profit.

The 15 defendants, including Otoniel Ortiz-Acevedo, aka ‘Otto’; Roberto Cañon-Guzmán, aka ‘Claudio’; Luis Iván Vicente-Ocasio, aka ‘Lento’; Anthony Lee Vicente-Ocasio, aka ‘Pelú’; Fernando Olivo-Martis, aka ‘Gordo’; Darwin Pagán-Soto, aka ‘Darwin’; Michael Ortiz-Maysonet, aka ‘Bimbo’; Orlanto Rivera-Fernández, aka ‘Kiki’; Jesús M. Pizarro-Rojas, aka ‘Chocky’; Christian Oquendo-Álvarez, aka ‘Fresita’; Enrique Fernández-Riera, aka ‘Kike’; Geovanni Torres-Santana, aka ‘Geova’; Elías A. Meléndez-Esquilin, aka ‘Calvo’; Orlando Rodríguez-Lara; and Marta J. Rivera-Lara, had various roles in the conspiracy, including one leader, five managers/drug owners, one drug processor, two runners, five sellers, one facilitator, enforcers, and lookouts.

According to the indictment, some of the defendants and their co-conspirators would evict residents from their apartments by force to use those apartments for other co-conspirators. The defendants would conduct drug transactions in the presence of minors and would use and employ them to distribute narcotics at the drug distribution points.

Assistant U.S. Attorney César Rivera-Giraud is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison.

Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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