The U.S. Justice Department has charged more than 80 individuals in connection with the dismantling of a violent gang operating in Puerto Rico. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges Thursday during a visit to the island, emphasizing the administration's focus on combating violent crime.
Federal prosecutors allege that the gang, identified as “Los Baja Deo,” was responsible for trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and other illicit drugs from Mayagüez, a city on Puerto Rico's west coast. The operation is estimated to have generated nearly $50 million in illicit proceeds. The gang is also linked to shootings, killings, kidnappings, and assaults, and is believed to have distributed at least 340 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics.
"Our Homeland Security Task Forces around the country are unified and they’re unified to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs and transnational criminal organizations around the United States,” Blanche stated. His presence in the U.S. Caribbean territory for the announcement signals the administration's commitment to spotlighting efforts against cartels and gangs that contribute to drug trafficking and violence.
Héctor Ramírez-Carbó, the acting U.S. attorney for Puerto Rico, affirmed that the 81 charged gang members will face justice, adding that "any other that try to take their place" will also be held accountable. He expressed hope that the action would allow families in Mayagüez to feel more secure in their communities.