Case "La Alianza": three convicted in drug trafficking network linked to murder of sergeant
Three defendants in the federal case "La Alianza" received sentences of between 6 and 15 years in prison for drug trafficking linked to the murder of Sergeant Eliezer Ramos Vélez in 2024.
Three sentences in federal case involving "La Alianza" network and murder of police officer in Carolina
Three members of the drug trafficking network known as "La Alianza" were sentenced by a federal court in Puerto Rico, according to a report by elnuevodia.com on Wednesday. The organisation, which grouped together several criminal structures from the metropolitan area, came under federal scrutiny following the murder of Puerto Rico Police Sergeant Eliezer Ramos Vélez on 29 March 2024, Good Friday, in the Sabana Abajo residential area.
Sentences for the three convicted
Eli Y. Couvertier Pollock, alias "Tata", "Maike" and "Maike Casiano", received the most severe sentence: 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Joshua E. Bula Cartagena, known as "Inquilino" and "El Corista", was sentenced to 10 years in prison and eight years of probation.
The third, Ángel M. Franqui González, alias "Blanquito", was convicted on 8 October to six years in prison and six years of supervised release. All three pleaded guilty on different dates during the current year.
Héctor Ramírez Carbó, interim head of the federal prosecution office in Puerto Rico, confirmed the sentences. According to the prosecution, the three men were charged in December 2024 with participating in a conspiracy that operated in several public residential areas in Carolina and San Juan.
The origin of the investigation
The case dates back to 5 December 2024, when a grand jury brought charges against 56 people from San Juan, Carolina and neighbouring municipalities for drug trafficking, possession of firearms and murder. The accusation maintains that since approximately 2021 the organisation had distributed large quantities of drugs in that area.
The various organisations involved established an agreement called "La Paz", by which they agreed to cooperate, offer mutual protection and share drugs and weapons to prevent internal confrontations. The objective, according to the prosecution, was to control drug trafficking operations in the residential areas.
Among the charges is the murder of Sergeant Ramos Vélez. The accusation identifies five people for that crime, including reggaeton artist Luis N. Isaac Sánchez, known as "Chimbo", "CDobleta" and "Dobleta".
Other convictions within the framework of the federal operation
The federal prosecution also announced additional sentences linked to operations of the National Security Task Force Group (HSTF). Alejandro Veliz was sentenced to 24 months in prison and four years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute more than five grammes of methamphetamine.
For his part, Melvis Marcano González received 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 225 kilogrammes of cocaine aboard a vessel under United States jurisdiction.
Three new defendants plead guilty
On 6 October, Gregory Vega De Jesús admitted his responsibility for the transportation of undocumented immigrants. He faced charges for conspiring to bring people without authorisation into the United States in exchange for money, facilitating the entry of a person with a record for aggravated felony and transporting immigrants within United States territory. Vega De Jesús was arrested on 22 July and will have his sentencing hearing on 21 January 2027.
Roberto Crispín Padilla and Ángel Luis Álvarez Torres, alleged members of the narcogang Las Fuerzas Revolucionarias de Cantera, known as "Las FARC", pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute them and carrying firearms to facilitate drug trafficking. Both were arrested on 10 July 2025 and have their sentencing hearings scheduled for 20 January 2027.
The federal operation coordinating the case
The federal prosecution indicated that all these cases form part of the initiative of the National Security Task Force Group, established through Executive Order 14159. The group brings together federal, state and municipal agencies with the purpose of investigating and prosecuting transnational criminal organisations, cartels, foreign gangs and human trafficking networks.
Among the federal agencies participating in the San Juan task force group are the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP), the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the United States Coast Guard.
At the state and municipal level, the Puerto Rico Police, the police departments of San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta and Ponce, the National Guard of Puerto Rico and the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, among other entities, participate.
Source: Google News PR — San Juan