[10], In the early 1990s, law enforcement began targeting white collar drug users. Federal agents raided 10 banks and arrested 17 people on money laundering charges. Okso even If I buy your argument that doesnt deny the fact the Puerto Rico has a massive debt, huge government largess, and extremely low worker participation rate. | WAR AGAINST ALL PUERTO RICANS, Pingback: Luis Fortuothe chairman of Puerto Ricos Financial Control Board? The site is secure. Unfortunately, the "47%" which Romney and Fortuo were prepared to forget, included nearly the entire population of Puerto Rico. Combating cross-border criminal activity is a critical component of the overall safety, security and well-being of our nation. [24] The operation began at 3a.m., when 65 tactical teams, including FBI SWAT and the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), fanned out across the island in a series of sneak attack arrests. Gerardo Amaro Rodrguez acted as a facilitator assisting with the placement, layering and integration of the organization's narcotics proceeds within legitimate economic and financial systems. "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. In 2010 police captured 16 drug dealer "clans" that had the same information and they worked together to defeat opposing dealers. Dios lo bendiga y lo ayude en sus tareas. The Attorney Generals (AG) Interagency CPOT list is comprised of leaders who exercise command and control of the elements of the most prolific drug trafficking/money laundering organizations that have the greatest impact on the United States illicit drug supply. Arroyo Perez is scheduled to be sentenced April 22, 2022. 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. This led to a major focus on crime and drugs in Puerto Rican politics. 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. By stamping out unions, firing workers and eliminating pensions, he ensured that Puerto Ricans would desperately depend on this debt, and on his political party, for their own survival and well-being. "The Nation; 28 Puerto Rico Police Caught in Drug Sting." General OneFile. 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. At one point, defendant Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Collado asks Hector Yamil Rodriguez how much money he has to send to Puerto Rico. To this day, the people of Puerto Rico do not know where that $9 billion was spent. The CPOT list represents the most wanted of the cartel leadership and ensures that the full capabilities of the U.S. government are focused, in a coordinated and clear manner, on a group of agreed-upon high-level targets. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justices drug reduction strategy. Mariano Enrique Arroyo Perez pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to to distribute cocaine and faces at least 10 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Jersey said Tuesday. 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. At the retail level, personal use quantities, commonly called decks, sold for $5 to $12. EFE World News Service 19 December 2008. With assistance from DEA Caribbean Division, agents identified Gautier-Rios as a major narcotics supplier allegedly responsible for the importation of hundreds of pounds of Colombian cocaine from Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland. "Crime in Puerto Rico: "FBI arrests 4 Puerto Rican police for corruption." By collaboration, law enforcement identified the crews smuggling operations and unique concealment methods that led to arrests and the dismantlement of this illegal organization.. The Attorney General designated Peralta as an OCDETF Consolidated Priority Organizational Target (CPOT) in 2017. Approximately 11 kilograms of (over 24 pounds) were intercepted during the course of the investigation by the U.S. The government later decided to only seek a death sentence for Candelario-Santana. The yearlong undercover operation was initiated by the FBI, after authorities got a tip about the police possibly being involved in drug dealing, and protecting cocaine dealers and shipments and movement throughout the island. That's dealers discression, but those are prices from a year ago, now (good) dealers compete with dispensary prices of 10$ a g and so on to stay . [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 operation uncovered money laundering schemes from within financial institutions and from the sale of illegal lottery tickets. . The agency characterized the action as, "likely the largest police corruption case in the FBI's history. This collapse will potentially result in addiction Stateside investors like myself purchasing the means of productionalmost a complete circle from the 1950s. [25] New gangs like La ONU and Rompe ONU are also prominent in Puerto Rico. % 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. Gautier-Rios and his crew misused the U.S. mail to facilitate the transportation of cocaine from Puerto Rico to the United States, a mistake that will cost them far more than the profits they made from their illegal operation. Postal Service had intercepted a parcel containing 3 kilograms, or more than 6 pounds, of cocainefrom Puerto Rico. In early 2012, two assassinations occurred in Humacao involving the Carteli. endobj 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. The smuggling had been taking place since 1999. "[30], 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. Federal agents and local police moved to arrest 26 people in Milwaukee and elsewhere early Wednesday as part of a sprawling investigation into poundsof cocaine being sent from Puerto Rico to Milwaukee. Through the wiretap investigation, agents identified members of Maisonet-Romans network, including his son Leonardo Maisonet-Figueroa and brother Victor Manuel Roman-Ramos, both of Providence, R.I. Fidel Sanchez, a source of supply to street level dealers in the Bronx, allegedly provided postal addresses where drug packages were shipped. Heroin prices vary throughout Puerto Rico and the USVI. [2] Violent and property crimes have increased due in part to dealers trying to keep their drug business afloat, using guns and . "The Nation; 28 Puerto Rico Police Caught in Drug Sting.". [3], This incident was investigated by the FBI alongside the Puerto Rico Police Department. Fortuo fired 30,000 workers, closed down schools, reduced pension benefits, raised the university tuition, and hiked gasoline and sales taxes. The complaint reveals dozens of shipments of kilograms of cocaine coming into Milwaukee and cash being returned. The people of Puerto Rico need to go after the assets and try to prosecute this parasite fuckuo. "Don't mail anything until (the hurricane) goes through," says Carlos Omar Concepcion-Rivera, on the recorded call. Pending charges and allegations are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. 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. All that cannot be put in one," Rodriguez said, saying he had about $30,000 and wondered if it would fit in a post office box. In the 1970s the increase in drug use, particularly among those under the age of 25, became a major concern in Puerto Rican society. Both will receive court-appointed attorneys. All rights reserved (About Us). According to the indictment, from 2005, the defendants conspired to import multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine into Puerto Rico from places outside of the United States, mainly the Dominican Republic, all for significant financial gain and profit. A weekly compilation of engaging digital content. 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. On October 9, 2016, in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House in Washington,DC, there is scheduled to be a unity rally demanding the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera. In 2011 it was discovered that many of the killings were to cover up some corrupt politicians. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. drug bust in san antonio tx 2020 "Crime in Puerto Rico: "FBI arrests 4 Puerto Rican police for corruption." The investigation revealed the Milwaukee-based organization also was receiving heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic drug stronger than heroin. This represents the cost of at least 70 kilograms of (over 150 pounds) sold in less than one year. Twenty people, some related to two different bands between drug dealers, were wounded in the shooting. Also in Naguabo, many drug cartels started to defend their dealers by getting snipers and attackers on rooftops. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. ", Lichtblau, Eric. [21], In April 2021, a shipment of cocaine with an estimated value of $50 million was intercepted in Yabucoa. Boston A Dominican drug trafficker who was jealous of David Ortiz and felt disrespected by him had him shot at a Dominican nightclub in 2019, according to private investigators the Red Sox. 4 0 obj Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented: Rethink the "Drug Dealer" . Con esto no quiere decir que estoy en contra de los hermanos emigrantes, pero si se debe hacer con orden y legalmente como se supone que sea. The indictment further alleges that members of the organization were responsible for the transportation of narcotics into Puerto Rico onboard private motor vessels. Det. 2009-2012. I lived on the island during the Sila Calderon Crew. Hay muchas maneras de lograr hacerlo por la via legal. The defendants, several of whom are from Puerto Rico and have family there, would havethe cocaine and other drugs "fronted" to them and then they would ship the money back to Puerto Rico. The central thread of the corruption was law enforcement officers providing protection and other services to drug traffickers. Other dealers buy from dispensaries or get it from the US and sell it, same weight applys. 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.". At the time of his arrest, convicted felon Agosto was also found in possession of a firearm for which charges are included in the indictment. This arrest and extradition underscore the collaboration and cooperation between our law enforcement partners, as well as our commitment and resolve to combat transnational organized crime, said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. The indictment also includes money laundering allegations from or around September 2005 to December 2007. 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. [22], In 2001, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Puerto Rico seized 56 kilograms of heroin from commercial aircraft at airports and 28 kilograms of heroin from commercial maritime vessels in Puerto Rico. <>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> [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 . 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. [2][18], U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 1,176.74 pounds of cocaine in 2001 from commercial maritime vessels and 14, 932.53 pounds of cocaine from private maritime vessels in Puerto Rico. [2][full citation needed], U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 1,176.74 pounds of cocaine in 2001 from commercial maritime vessels and 14, 932.53 pounds of cocaine from private maritime vessels in Puerto Rico. [10][11][12][13][14], Puerto Rico has become a transshipment point for illegal drugs that are smuggled from source countries like Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru into the U.S. mainland. Followhim on Twitter at @john_diedrich,Instagram at @john_diedrich, LinkedInorFacebook. Members of Maisonet-Romans network watched for the parcels and intercepted them upon delivery. 3 0 obj as a fugitive on July 26, 2017. They also got information from at least three informants who provided information about the drug-dealing organization in exchange for possible breaks in unrelated criminal cases they were facing. 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. We agree 100%. Mr. As the Mafioso of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuo ruled over the islandlike Tony Montana ruled over Miami in Scarface. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The U.S. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. Change). 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.