Six accused of drug trafficking between Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and USA: possible life sentence
A federal prosecutor in Puerto Rico has accused six men of 23 counts of drug trafficking, murder and money laundering linked to a network based in Añasco.
Transnational drug trafficking network between Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and USA
According to listindiario.com, W. Stephen Muldrow, federal prosecutor for the District of Puerto Rico, filed formal charges against six men on 23 counts of organised crime, including murder, drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms-related offences. The criminal organisation was based in the municipality of Añasco, in the Costero Valley region in the west of Puerto Rico.
According to the charges, the network operated on a large scale in coordination with supply sources in Venezuela, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Its members used vessels to import shipments of several kilograms of cocaine from those countries to Puerto Rico and subsequently to the continental territory of the United States.
The six accused are: Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega, alias "Nano/El Viejo", son of the former mayor of Añasco, Antonio Valentín, and owner of the business Centro Agrícola El Rancho; Rafael Ángel Ruiz-Garcés, alias "Pito Rancho/Pito/El Flaco"; César E. Carrero-Martínez, alias "Waldy"; Jonathan Hernández-Ruiz, alias "Tan"; Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata, alias "Luijo"; and Luis F. Rivera-Quiñonez, alias "Nino".
Each carried out different functions within the organisation, which also resorted to acts of violence—including murders and assaults—to sustain and expand its operations.
"In order to promote the organisation, they laundered and used the proceeds from drug trafficking to buy weapons and ammunition, acquire real estate properties, rent properties to store narcotics, buy vessels and vehicles, among other things," the prosecution stated.
Authorities also indicated that the acts of violence committed by members of the organisation were intended to consolidate their reputation against rival groups, protect their members from law enforcement and preserve control of their operations. "The following murders form part of the organised crime acts imputed," the Puerto Rican prosecution stated.
If found guilty, the six accused could face life imprisonment. In the case of Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega and Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata, the prosecution indicated that both are eligible for the death penalty.
Source: Google News DO — Crime