Federal prosecutors allege the group distributed fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs in and around Mayagüez; 70 defendants were arrested Tuesday, authorities said.
The Justice Department said Thursday that 81 people have been federally charged in an investigation into an alleged drug-trafficking organization operating in western Puerto Rico.
Prosecutors allege the group, known as Los Baja Deo, distributed heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine and marijuana beginning in 2021, including near public-housing complexes and other neighborhoods around Mayagüez. The indictment also alleges that some members used violence, including shootings, kidnappings and killings, to protect the organization.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment on August 19. The FBI and Puerto Rico Police Department led an operation that arrested 70 of the defendants on Tuesday, August 26, according to the Justice Department.
Authorities said they seized 21 firearms during the investigation. The government alleges the organization distributed at least 340 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics and at least 2,200 kilograms of cocaine, generating more than $49 million in proceeds. Those figures are allegations by prosecutors and have not been established in court.
Twenty-one defendants face an additional charge of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, the Justice Department said. The drug charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a potential life sentence upon conviction; defendants convicted on both the drug and firearm counts would face a minimum of 15 years, according to the department.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the case during a visit to Puerto Rico. The investigation involved the FBI, Puerto Rico Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, among other agencies.
An indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
