Operation 'Rainbow Dope': 28 accused of drug trafficking in southern Puerto Rico
A federal grand jury charged 28 members of a drug network active in Coamo, Juana Díaz and Villalba. The organisation was led from prison by Jeremy Maldonado.
28 charged in Puerto Rico for drug trafficking and weapons in 'Rainbow Dope' operation
The federal prosecutor charged 28 people linked to a drug trafficking organisation that operated in municipalities in the south and centre of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, according to impactomedia.com. The charges include conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute them and offences related to firearms.
The federal grand jury of the Puerto Rico District issued the indictment on 24 September, as part of the operation called 'Rainbow Dope'. The municipalities affected were Coamo, Juana Díaz and Villalba.
"The arrests in this case highlight the determination of the federal prosecutor's office and its law enforcement partners in upholding the rule of law," said Héctor Ramírez, acting federal prosecutor for the Puerto Rico District.
According to the indictment, since 2022 the organisation distributed heroin, fentanyl, crack, cocaine, marijuana, tramadol and clonazepam in the public housing complexes Enudio Negrón, Maximino Miranda—in Villalba—and Villas del Parque—in Juana Díaz—, as well as in surrounding areas. The network was led by Jeremy Maldonado, 25 years old, who directed operations from prison.
The accused held different roles within the organisation: leaders, suppliers, owners of distribution points, security personnel, transporters, sellers, lookouts and facilitators. The authorities also allege that members engaged in acts of violence, including shootings and murders, to maintain territorial control of the drug trafficking.
The name of the operation stems from the method the organisation used to prepare crack: the resulting rocks had varied colours, like a rainbow.
Michael Mayer, special agent in charge of the DEA's Caribbean Division, noted that each criminal network dismantled and each distribution point shut down "represents lives that have potentially been saved".
The investigation was directed by the DEA and the Ponce Intervention Unit of the Puerto Rico Police, with the collaboration of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). During the arrests, support was provided by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Marshals Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Some of the accused were already in penitentiary facilities for previous cases related to drugs.
Source: Google News PR — Crime