81 alleged gang members indicted in Puerto Rico drug, gun conspiracy

A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment Aug. 19 charging 81 alleged members of a Mayagüez-area gang with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, according to the Justice Department.

Following an investigation by the San Juan Homeland Security Task Force, the FBI and Puerto Rico Police Department led a takedown that resulted in the arrests of 70 defendants. Officials described the operation as the culmination of a lengthy investigation into an alleged violent drug trafficking organization that had operated across western Puerto Rico for years.

The defendants are accused of being members of “Los Baja Deo,” or LBD, which authorities allege maintained a steady supply of dangerous narcotics and exposed public housing communities in Mayagüez and surrounding neighborhoods to violence, Attorney General Todd Blanche said. Blanche said law enforcement seized 21 firearms during the investigation and estimated that the organization distributed at least 340 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics and at least 2,200 kilograms of cocaine during the alleged conspiracy, generating more than $49 million in proceeds.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ramírez-Carbó for the District of Puerto Rico said the arrests reflect a commitment to removing violent gangs from local communities, while FBI San Juan Special Agent in Charge Carlos R. Goris called the takedown the product of meticulous work by agents based in Aguadilla. Puerto Rico Police Superintendent Joseph González said his department remains committed to working alongside federal partners to dismantle trafficking organizations that threaten public safety.

According to the indictment, the conspiracy dates to 2021 and involved the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, crack and powder cocaine, and marijuana within 1,000 feet of several public housing projects and in numerous other communities throughout the Mayagüez area. Prosecutors allege the defendants communicated using two-way radios, cellphones, instant messaging and social media, and that gang members committed shootings, kidnappings and murders when they perceived threats to themselves or the organization. Twenty-one defendants face an additional charge of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. The 21 defendants charged with both drug and firearms offenses face a minimum of 15 years and up to life if convicted of both. All 81 defendants face a narcotics forfeiture allegation of more than $49.7 million.

The investigation was led by the FBI, Puerto Rico Police Department’s Mayagüez Strike Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. The case is being prosecuted by a team of assistant U.S. attorneys for the District of Puerto Rico. An indictment contains only allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.