cuti puerto rico drug dealer

[33], The Puerto Rican government has implemented a series of law enforcement operations in relation to the federal "war on drugs" in order to minimize drug-related crimes and trafficking on the island. Fortuo used debt, like a drug dealer uses cocaine. "I'm having a problem with a package that was supposed to be here today," Rodriguez says and then gives Aurelio the tracking number. 2023 www.jsonline.com. This led to a major focus on crime and drugs in Puerto Rican politics. Also they found that they were working with corrupt politicians to approve marijuana legalization and the export of exotic animals. Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program, Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community, DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements, Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist, Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems, Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources. The central thread of the corruption was law enforcement officers providing protection and other services to drug traffickers. [2], Addicts "shooting up" with dirty needles has created a public health emergency in Puerto Rico with an HIV positive rate that is 4 times higher than the U.S. national average. Located in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has become a major transshipment point for drugs into the United States. The site is secure. I lived on the island during the Sila Calderon Crew. Puerto Rican Drug Kingpin Among Ten Charged Over $1 Million Cocaine Delivery At Times Square Hotel Drug Enforcement Administration Frank A. Tarentino III Special Agent in Charge New York @DEANewYorkDiv May 20, 2011 Contact: Phone Number: (212) 337-3900 For Immediate Release Many of them were flown in secretly. Thats why when I hear that Puerto Ricans on the island dont want to work, I can personally say Thats Bullsht. Most of it is transported to and through the island from drug trafficking organizations in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and criminal organizations in Puerto Rico. Dominican authorities have announced the arrest of Miguel Rivera Diaz, alias "Bolo," one of Puerto Rico's most wanted drug traffickers. 2018 NGC Europe Limited, All Rights Reserved. This occurred in Naranjito, Puerto Rico, the place where the drug dealers distributed their drugs to many places in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has become a major transshipment point for drugs. For a history of the War Against All Puerto Ricans, read the book, Si prefiere ver la pgina web en espaol por favor visite: http://www.guerracontratodoslospuertorriquenos.com, Category: BookTags: Bond Holders, Bonds, Corruptions, Debt, Hedge Funds, Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico, Scarface, Wall Street, Pingback: How Governor Ricky Rosell is STEALING Puerto Rico for Wall Street | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS. He left the island in a fiscal shambles, to enjoy a million-dollar partnership at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. The packages were then mailed to fictitious names at real addresses in New York and Rhode Island. Los Angeles Times 15 August 2001: A-14. However, this is believed to be a fraction of the total number of kilograms imported by the drug trafficking organization. 7 June 2010. A locked padlock %PDF-1.5 They are in the illegal drug trade. ", https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs3/3950/3950p.pdf, Puerto Rico: criadero de narcos, sicarios, agresores y embusteros, "Puerto Rico Enlists Mail Carriers in Drug War", http://www.fbi.gov/page2/oct10/sanjuan_100610.html, "FBI: Puerto Rico cops protected cocaine dealers", http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/06/national/main6932519.shtml, War and Drugs in Colombia - International Crisis Group, 'Loco,' Colombia's Last Drug Lord, Extradited to New York, Neo-Paramilitary Groups Consolidating in Colombia: Report - InSight Crime | Organized Crime in the Americas, Neo-paramilitaries do not deserve political status: Govt - Colombia News | Colombia Reports, armed conflict Archives - Colombia News | Colombia Reports, peace talks Archives - Colombia News | Colombia Reports, The Colombian War on Drugs, A Family Affair | SHOAH, Puerto Rico Police Department official website, US DHS: Hoja informativa: La Lucha Contra el Crimen en Puerto Rico, Culture and society in the Spanish Colonial Americas, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Illegal_drugs_in_Puerto_Rico&oldid=720423361, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. They would also transfer ownership or loan the vessels amongst themselves in furtherance of the drug trafficking activities. The 2009 Sabana Seca massacre, also referred to as La Masacre de La Tmbola, was an incident that occurred on October 17, 2009, in Puerto Rico related to drug trafficking.Eight people were killed by gunmen in a car, who shot randomly in a bar in the Sabana Seca barrio of Toa Baja, 15 miles from San Juan.Twenty people, some related to two different bands between drug dealers, were wounded in . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 2 0 obj [29], Operation Guard Shack was a two-year FBI investigation into law enforcement corruption in Puerto Rico. The group is believed to be responsible for transporting drugs to consumer markets in the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe. He borrowed a staggering $16.55 billion from Wall Street, stuffed himself at the banquet table, and handed the bill to the taxpayers of Puerto Rico. An official website of the United States government. In coordination with foreign officials, Peralta was located and arrested in Cartagena, Colombia on December 2, 2019 at the request of the United States. ", Rodriguez added that parcels coming from the island might also get scrutiny during the storm. The following co-conspirators acted as transporters in this organization: Diego Prez Coln, Sixto Boschetti Dvila, Kareem Boschetti Dvila, Elier Martnez Delgado, Rafael Molina Padr, Ivan Crespo Talavera, Ral Gonzlez Daz, Carlos Torres Landra, Hector Ramos Rosado, Jonathan Vega Berrios and Joel Vega Berrios. Also they found that they were working with corrupt politicians to approve marijuana legalization and the export of exotic animals. [20] Between 1993 and 2000, 1,000 police officers in Puerto Rico lost their jobs from the department due to criminal charges. In June 2002, drug detecting dogs detected and CBP seized 24 kilograms of heroin in a cargo storage area on a pier in San Juan. The indictment further alleges that members of the organization were responsible for the transportation of narcotics into Puerto Rico onboard private motor vessels. [4] The assailants, Alexis Candelario-Santana and David Oquendo-Rivas, faced life in prison after being convicted on March 8, 2013, for the murders of eight individuals, an unborn child, and the attempted murder of the other twenty injured people. Unfortunately, the 47% which Romney and Fortuo were prepared to forget, included nearly the entire population of Puerto Rico. 4 0 obj [2] Violent and property crimes have increased due in part to dealers trying to keep their drug business afloat, using guns and violence to protect themselves, their turfs, and drug habits. They also started to "clean house" in 2010, when they killed about 44 men attached to some drug dealers or those that were compromising the dealer. (02:49) Make It, Take It. stream Followhim on Twitter at @john_diedrich,Instagram at @john_diedrich, LinkedInorFacebook. 2009-2012. Many of the transporters purchased luxury motor vessels in order to move the narcotics into Puerto Rico. [15], In 1996, a group of researchers from Puerto Rico's Mental Health and Anti Addiction Services Administration, published the results of a study involving 849 out-of-treatment drug users in the San Juan area. Don Oscar is 73 years old. [6] Though drug use was uncommon in Puerto Rico in the 1950s, it markedly increased in the late 1960s. [18] Between 2003 and 2007, 100 officers had been under investigation and 75 others convicted under federal court for police corruption. http://www.metro.pr/locales/tsunami-de-contratos-privados-en-administracion-de-luis-fortuno/pGXmeg!hX9jixYJTT1E/, http://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/nota/economistaavalariaunaumentoencontribuciones-1498183/, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/26/business/Public-Debt-on-the-Rise-in-Puerto-Rico.html. [2] Violent and property crimes have increased due in part to dealers trying to keep their drug business afloat, using guns and violence to protect themselves, their turfs, and drug . A 29-year-old man from Puerto Rico admitted he arranged to fly more than 550 pounds of cocaine into New Jersey on private planes between 2017 and 2019. General OneFile. Dios lo bendiga y lo ayude en sus tareas. Over 1,000 agents of the FBI conducted the raids. | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, The secret governor of Puerto Rico: Scarface Luis Fortuo | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, Presidential debate moderators scarcely ask questions about Puerto Rico | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, Privatization gone wild: Corruption in the Public Private Partnerships of Puerto Rico, created by Gov. as a fugitive on July 26, 2017. Yo creo que hay ALGUIEN detras de esto y por lo tantolo dejan asiiiii e intentan o pretenden no dares cuenta de los hechos. Hearings on whether they will be detained without bail are scheduled for next week. The Illegal drug trade in Puerto Rico is a problem from a criminal, social, and medical perspective. Treating Jungle Rot in Puerto Rico webisode from Drugs, Inc. on National Geographic Channel. Postal Service, according to a 227-page criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday morning. [3], In 1990, Operation Lucky Strike was put in motion by the FBI and local law enforcement officials, when residents of Vega Baja unearthed $20 million on a nearby farm. Over 1,000 agents of the FBI conducted the raids. That same year, government officials arrested seven individuals in Puerto Rico, for swallowing between 36 and 98 condoms full of heroin, when they arrived from Aruba on a cruise ship. Fortuno is from the same old school. Its time for him to come home!!! "Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Drug Threat Assessment. EFE World News Service 19 December 2008. Located in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has become a major transshipment point for drugs into the United States. Culturally Id argue that Puerto Rico has a first world sense of entitlement and consumption on a third world economy. The drugs arrived through post offices in the Milwaukee area and were delivered to various houses, mostly on Milwaukee's south side. Luis Fortuo | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, este es un caso muy interesante para mi por que yo simper pensed que era in possible derotal a un pai tanentelectur como el paltido independetista que son los que simper an velado por el puertoriquno. In 2011 the death toll is 1,266 and counting. Web. WOW IN ONE YEAR GARCIA PADILLA, ACUMULATE MORE DEBT THAN FORTUNO AND OTHERS IN 4 YEARS. . Agosto was charged under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute. Contact John Diedrich at (414) 224-2408 or jdiedrich@journalsentinel.com. Together, we will continue to aggressively target and pursue criminals who bring dangerous drugs into our communities, threaten the safety and security of our neighborhoods, and profit at the expense of our citizens.". Dwayne Fields walks through the oasis. Torres-Rivera, Edil and Phan, Loan T. "The Gang Problem in Puerto Rico. 7 June 2010. "The Nation; 28 Puerto Rico Police Caught in Drug Sting." "Crime in Puerto Rico: "FBI arrests 4 Puerto Rican police for corruption." Also in Bayamon, a major city of Puerto Rico, many drug cartels started to defend their dealers by getting snipers and attackers on rooftops. Postal Service's customer service number. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The organization was shipping the drugs to Milwaukee and other U.S. cities. The CCSF is a multi-agency OCDETF strike force comprised of federal and state law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), and the U.S. The pilots became suspicious because the men were not listed on the flights manifest and the luggage was particularly heavy, according to federal prosecutors. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett announced today the extradition of a major narcotics supplier who allegedly conspired to smuggle millions of dollars in cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York City and Rhode Island through U.S. And now hes doing it again, through his two cronies on the Financial Control Board, and Governor Ricky Rosello. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. [7] Other strategies used by the government of Puerto Rico include longer sentences for criminals, increased funding for law enforcement equipment, and the construction of new prisons. Montalvo-Barbot, Alfredo. Arroyo Perez is scheduled to be sentenced April 22, 2022. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. And now hes doing it again, through his two cronies on the Financial Control Board, and Governor Ricky Rosello. Also in Naguabo, many drug cartels started to defend their dealers by getting snipers and attackers on rooftops. (LogOut/ The indictment also sought to forfeit the proceeds obtained as a result of such offenses, up to an amount of $100 million. Our journalism needs your support. Each day our members see the harmful effects drugs such as cocaine have on individuals, families and our neighborhoods. When Don Pedro Allbizu Campos roamed on his beautiful island they were on top of him like bees on honey. Violators will be identified, arrested and prosecuted to fullest extent of the law, said Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett. [4] Candelario-Santana's organization sold numerous drugs bought from several sellers including crack, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Now that El Chapo is convicted and put behind bars for life plus 30 years, in this article we will take a look at the DEA's 8 most wanted targets. Postal Inspection Service in New York City and Rhode Island. Their study found that 36.5% of the drug users in the study were crack cocaine users only, 42.4% were drug injectors only and 21.1% were both drug injectors and crack users. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Authorities said the suitcases contained more than 350 pounds of cocaine. Police captured a sniper in late 2011, the sniper had a Dragunov Caliber Sniper Rifle and was arrested with 5 other drug dealers. "If the hurricane ruins us, we would have to wait. Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico are an increasingly significant problem from a criminal, social, and medical perspective, and a large amount of crime in Puerto Rico has been linked to the amount of illegal drugs that flow through the country. The start of what some call the "drug war" was in 2009 in a conflict between Police and drug dealers which police wounded and killed two men. Luis Fortuo vende patria!! A drug dealer busted for mailing $2 million in cocaine from his native Puerto Rico to locations along the East Coast was extradited this week to face charges in Manhattan. 9 min read. I lived on $25.00 $ day 5am to 3:30 constructing homes. maine coon kittens for sale adelaide. [9] By 2008 the tension was rising. The government later decided to only seek a death sentence for Candelario-Santana. In the house they found AK-47, M9 pistols and the drugs. The 2009 Sabana Seca massacre, also referred to as La Masacre de La Tmbola, was an incident that occurred on October 17, 2009, in Puerto Rico related to drug trafficking. "Police corruption undermines Puerto Rican drug war. Law enforcement arrested him in July 2019. Defendants began appearing at the federal courthouse in Milwaukee on Wednesday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Callahan and were scheduled to keep coming all day. [17] In 2007, 9 police officers and their lieutenant were arrested for planting drug evidence, including cocaine, heroin, and crack, on people living in the city's low-income housing projects, prompting Puerto Rico's attorney general's office to review previous cases, making sure no innocent people were put in prison. The first two defendants to appear before Callahan, Wilberto Santiago-Martinez and Julio Seda-Martinez, needed a translator to understand the proceedings in court. Most of it is transported to and through the island from Drug Trafficking Organizations in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and criminal organizations in Puerto Rico. An investigation revealed that Arroyo Perez arranged the shipment and had been flying cocaine into New Jersey since 2017. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Nunca contest los ataques. This TCO received multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela and transported these to Puerto Rico and the continental United States. He was subsequently charged with fraudulently obtaining a passport to travel to the Dominican Republic. Pingback: A new PNP in Puerto Rico: the Party of New Psychotics | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, Pingback: War Against All Puerto Ricans receives 3 million views | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, Pingback: Will Puerto Rico be privatized? In order to avoid detection by postal workers and would-be thieves, Gautier-Rios allegedly prepared the cocaine for shipment by packing multiple kilograms inside metal cosmetic boxes that were sealed with silicone. The OCDETF program identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. At the retail level, personal use quantities, commonly called decks, sold for $5 to $12. The population must right size to what the economy can sustain. cuti puerto rico drug dealercan gradescope tell if you screenshot. First was the amount of debt. [25] In 2007, 9 police officers and their lieutenant were arrested for planting drug evidence, including cocaine, heroin, and crack, on people living in the city's low-income housing projects, prompting Puerto Rico's attorney general's office to review previous cases, making sure no innocent people were put in prison. At the end of his four-year term, the press reported on a tsunami of private contracts that Fortuo handed out from 2009 till 2013. As the Mafioso of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuo ruled over the islandlike Tony Montana ruled over Miami in Scarface. Go figure. [5] Their efforts have been referred to as a "War on Drugs". Fortuo used debt, like a drug dealer uses cocaine. He was subsequently charged with fraudulently obtaining a passport to travel to the Dominican Republic. Our investigation revealed an extensive cocaine smuggling operation through Puerto Rico and into New York and Rhode Island, said Police Commissioner James P. ONeill. On July 17, 2010, Agosto was arrested in Puerto Rico after being a fugitive since November, 1999, when he used false documents to escape from a Puerto Rico correctional facility. Four men who authorities later learned worked with Perez were arrested Nov. 18, 2018 in Puerto Rico after boarding a private plane that was scheduled to fly to Teterboro Airport. In one call last October, Rodriguez is recorded talking to a USPS employee named "Aurelio.". In early 2012, two assassinations occurred in Humacao involving the Carteli. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [4], The Government of Puerto Rico has struggled to combat illegal drug use and the resulting crime since the mid-1970s. Los Angeles Times 15 August 2001: A-14. Much of this tsunami of private contracts, was handed out to Fortuos friends and business associates. .Gracias a el Se~or Fonseca por tan importante informacion! [2], On October 17, 2009, at approximately 11:50pm, Alexis Candelario Santana and David Oquendo-Rivas arrived at the grand opening of the La Tmbola pub. <>>> [10], In the early 1990s, law enforcement began targeting white collar drug users. Postal Service had intercepted a parcel containing 3 kilograms, or more than 6 pounds, of cocainefrom Puerto Rico. In 2012, around 1,000 murders were reported. In only four years, Fortuo forced Puerto Rico into debt, more than any other governor in Puerto Rican history. [5] In response, federal and local law enforcement agencies have attempted to integrate their efforts to fight drug crime. *][RUuVUuV9MT75Y@ko])S.T#jXd S_{PNUR@mS6ie,I|oS9?ze=UmYoOk|umZ`A6s;(@5n(v1-0C,Q(TN\Y4dii5OdfA44KKA&* 4"n\@kmJ4%;E76,|VuaH9f q .yu,8{bZbt(5rg$:0DK wi;GJwfdS=m}Ea{-y"(a5?fYP{5:?'$9)5OvM r&iOSH5NYx.Uj8S(6}L4a:xr0sFa8rCju'nvnI}5/Q8 ERJf+\fm-x. "The mailmen are stealing it, (expletive)," defendant David Quinones-Rios says on a recorded call. At the outset of the investigation in October of 2016, agents and detectives identified Santos Maisonet-Roman, aka Apache, of the Bronx, as head of a drug trafficking organization that received multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine from Puerto Rico on a monthly basis through U.S. That same year, government officials arrested seven individuals in Puerto Rico, for swallowing between 36 and 98 condoms full of heroin, when they arrived from Aruba on a cruise ship. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Web. A total of six defendants were charged as a result of a long-term wiretap investigation by the DEAs New York Drug Enforcement Task (NYDETF), Group T-12. The yearlong undercover operation was initiated by the FBI, after authorities got a tip about the police possibly being involved in drug dealing, and protecting cocaine dealers and shipments and movement throughout the island. On Nov. 13, 2011, HSI special agents arrested Agosto after he was charged on a 12-count indictment with conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and money laundering. Ray Engineers had no pipeline construction experience but it was owned by Fortuos childhood friend, Pedro Ray Chacn. Hay muchas maneras de lograr hacerlo por la via legal. yet a true patriot, Don Oscar, whose only crime has been to struggle for Puerto Ricos natural right to be a free and sovereign republic continues to languish in a U.S. gulag. They tried to stop the circulation of the illegal money and mobilized to arrest the individuals connected to the money.[3]. The smuggling had been taking place since 1999. [30] The operation came to a conclusion on 6 October 2010 with a series of pre-dawn raids that led to over 130[31] arrests of members of the Puerto Rico Police Department, various municipal departments, and the Puerto Rico Corrections Department. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. "Sikarios" would be put on the rooftops to defend their drug turf in different housing projects due to wars against rival gangs that would try to take over the drug turf. By collaboration, law enforcement identified the crews smuggling operations and unique concealment methods that led to arrests and the dismantlement of this illegal organization.. Mendoza and his team track a mobile dealer through a confidential informer, but no one Drug dealer PT describes how his business breaks down, but the stick up man is never far away. Lock Last August, the shipments of money back to Puerto Ricoslowed as the suspects worried that Hurricane Dorian, which was bearing down on the island, could create more scrutiny. % Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Our thanks to all of the investigative agencies and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor whose work made todays arrests and extradition possible-and will inevitably keep our City safer with this serious drug smuggling operation disrupted., New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, "The culmination of this investigation and the disruption of this illegal drug trafficking operation is, once again, evidence of the commitment we share with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous drugs off our streets. That is what Mafiosos, dictators and drug dealers do. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Max J. Prez-Bouret, Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jawayria Z. Auchter. "Prosecutors charge Puerto Rican police with corruption." Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Angel Ayala Vazquez was found guilty in April of conspiracy to distribute drugs. Lus Fortuo converted Puerto Rico into his personal criminal empirea bottomless billion-dollar buffet table. [24], In 2001, CBP confiscated 205 kilos of marijuana at airports throughout Puerto Rico. U.S. Attorney Matt Krueger, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kauland DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul Maxwell are expected to speak. The investigation revealed the Milwaukee-based organization also was receiving heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic drug stronger than heroin. You need to install or update your flash player. A petition is circulating, which demands an FBI investigation of ex-governor Luis Fortuo and his crimes against Puerto Rico. Postal Service packages. A comment is not more than a comment, let me explain, when Pedro Rosello was in office same thing happened. Here is one example: in 2011, while firing 30,000 government workers to save money, Fortuo tried to build a $450 million gasoline pipeline for which the largest contract, worth $9.6 million, went to Ray Engineers PSC. [5] During this era, a person named Rafy Dones surfaced as one of the first, alleged major drug traffickers operating in Puerto Rico;[7] he was sentenced to a jail term on 30 September 1977. [2], In June 2012, 36 people were arrested in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland for smuggling 61,000 pounds of cocaine into the U.S through Puerto Rico's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport aboard flights operated by American Airlines. endobj They were sentenced to life in prison without parole.[2]. [11], The start of the "Drug Wars" in Puerto Rico was in 2009 in a conflict between Police and drug dealers which police wounded and killed two men. People want to work. This included: Fortuos government career is steeped in corruption, nepotism, brutality, and financial mismanagement. [2], In June 2012, 36 people were arrested in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland for smuggling 61,000 pounds of cocaine into the U.S through Puerto Rico's Luis Muoz Marn International Airport aboard flights operated by American Airlines. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Today, Colombian authorities extradited Dominican drug lord Cesar Emilio Peralta-Adamez, also known as El Abusador, to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico. P.S. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. General OneFile. Agosto was also indicted in a second superseding indictment for conspiracy to import more than 2,100 kilograms of cocaine into Puerto Rico between the years 2000 and 2001. That same year federal law enforcement officials in San Juan seized 1.4 kilograms of heroin from a passenger arriving from Aruba on a cruise ship. On November 28, 2018, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment against Peralta, charging him with conspiracy to import heroin and cocaine into the customs territory of the United States (Counts One and Two) and with distributing five kilograms or more of cocaine for purposes of unlawful importation into the . For media inquiries about ICE activities, operations, or policies, contact the ICE Office of Public Affairs at (202) 732-4242. Federal agents raided 10 banks and arrested 17 people on money laundering charges. Puerto Rico does have a drug problem, and the most abused drugs include opiates, marijuana, and alcohol. [25], The Puerto Rican government has implemented a series of law enforcement operations in relation to the federal "war on drugs" in order to minimize drug-related crimes and trafficking on the island. [2], In 2008, four police officers in Puerto Rico were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including a Lieutenant with 33 years on the force, for extortion and distribution of cocaine and heroin. Armed with several types of semi-automatic pistols assault rifles including .9mm semi-automatic pistols, 40 caliber semi-automatic pistols, 45 caliber semi-automatic pistols, AK-47 and AR-15 type assault rifles, the pair opened fire on the patrons congregating outside of the pub. "[22], It is cheap and easy to buy and deal to the public in housing projects in Puerto Rico, leading to the second highest homicide rates in the United States or its territories.