Evergreen Reporter

A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico has indicted 34 individuals for their involvement in a drug trafficking operation within the island's prison system. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and other offenses linked to four overdose deaths.

Court documents reveal that the defendants were involved in distributing drugs such as fentanyl, suboxone, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and synthetic marijuana inside facilities managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. These drugs were smuggled into prisons using drones, legal mail, family visits, official corruption or indifference, catapulting or throwing drugs into prison yards (known as "picheos"), and concealing them in items like PlayStations and bags of ice.

The introduction of these illegal substances led to numerous overdoses within the prison system, including at least four fatalities from a fentanyl-laced drug mixture.

Many of those arrested are reportedly members of Group 31 or "Los Tiburones," a gang that controlled drug distribution across several correctional institutions. Among these institutions are Institución Correccional Guerrero in Aguadilla and Complejo Correccional Las Cucharas Sgto. Pedro Joel Rodríguez Matos in Ponce.

United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow stated: “Gang activity poses a grave risk of harm to our communities and within correctional institutions.” He added that this indictment is the result of an extensive investigation by federal and state law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling this criminal network.

Denise Foster, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Caribbean Division remarked: “This operation represents a critical step in our fight against the influx of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into Puerto Rico’s correctional facilities.”

The defendants are set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López Soler today. If convicted on drug trafficking charges, they could face life imprisonment; money laundering charges carry a maximum sentence of ten years. Sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other factors.

The Drug Enforcement Administration leads the investigation with support from multiple local and federal agencies including the Puerto Rico Police Bureau Ponce Strike Force and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge L. Matos is prosecuting this case under an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation designed to disrupt high-level criminal organizations through collaborative efforts between various law enforcement entities.

It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.