Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a 14-count indictment on July 18, 2024, charging eight individuals with drug trafficking, conspiracy to provide contraband in prison, and conspiracy to commit identity theft.
According to court documents, from July 2023 until May 22, 2024, the defendants conspired to provide Buprenorphine (Suboxone), ketamine, and fentanyl to inmates housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The substances were introduced through envelopes purporting to be legal mail. The defendants are:
1. José J. Rodríguez-Cumba, a/k/a “Chambi”
2. Richard Cruz-Monzón
3. Yarelis I. Colón-Ríos
4. Yarushka M. De León-Acosta, a/k/a “La Secretaria”
5. Edwin D. González-Reyes, a/k/a “Cotto”
6. José J. López-Pellot
7. Christina M. Rodríguez-Cumba, a/k/a “Nani”
8. Selena Crespo-Dumeng
All defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to provide contraband in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft. Six defendants face aggravated identity theft charges.
“This case should send a clear message to those who attempt to smuggle illegal contraband into a federal facility that we will investigate and prosecute this criminal activity,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
“Through our joint enforcement efforts, we’ve dismantled a criminal organization that utilized the mail to supply drugs to federal and state prisons,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Miami Division.
“Contraband in correctional institutions continues to be a significant threat," stated Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office.
If convicted on drug trafficking charges, the defendants face up to twenty years in prison: ten years for possession of fentanyl in prison; five years for attempting to provide Buprenorphine; five years for conspiracy related charges within prison settings; plus twenty years for conspiracy related identity theft charges; and an additional mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.
The U.S Postal Inspection Service's Miami Division and the FBI are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S Attorneys Alberto López-Rocafort (Chief of Gang Section), Teresa Zapata-Valladares (Deputy Chief), R Vance Eaton and Carlos J Romo-Aledo are leading prosecution efforts.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt by law.
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