Operation Rainbow Dope: 28 accused of drug trafficking in southern Puerto Rico municipalities
A federal grand jury accused 28 members of a drug trafficking organisation active since 2022 in Coamo, Juana Díaz and Villalba. The group was led by a 25-year-old inmate.
28 accused in Operation Rainbow Dope for drug and weapons trafficking in Puerto Rico
The federal prosecutor's office of Puerto Rico formally accused 28 people linked to a drug trafficking organisation that operated in the municipalities of Coamo, Juana Díaz and Villalba, in the south and centre of the archipelago, according to diariolibre.com reported on Wednesday.
A federal grand jury of the District of Puerto Rico issued the accusation on 24 September on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, as well as crimes related to firearms. Some of the accused were already confined in penitentiary centres for previous drug cases.
"The arrests in this case highlight the determination of the federal prosecutor's office and its law enforcement partners in defending the rule of law," said Héctor Ramírez, acting federal prosecutor for the District of Puerto Rico.
According to the accusation, since 2022 the organisation distributed heroin, fentanyl, crack, cocaine, marijuana, tramadol and clonazepam in the social 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, a 25-year-old inmate.
Members of the organisation fulfilled different roles: leaders, suppliers, owners of sales points, security personnel, transporters, sellers, lookouts and facilitators. The authorities also allege that the group resorted to acts of violence, including shootings and murders, to maintain territorial control of drug trafficking.
The name of the operation derives from the method the organisation used to produce crack: the cooking process produced stones of different colours, resembling a rainbow.
Michael Mayer, special agent in charge of the Caribbean Division of the DEA, noted that each dismantled criminal organisation and each distribution point shut down "represents lives that have potentially been saved".
Participating in the development of the arrests were the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Marshals Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Source: Google News PR — Crime