Six Individuals Charged with Drug Trafficking

 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On April 29, 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a two-count indictment, which was unsealed today, charging six defendants charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rafael Riviere-Vázquez, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Juan Field Office, and John F. Kanig, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Caribbean Field Division. The FBI and DEA led the investigation.

The indictment alleges that since the year 2014, until in or about September 2019, the defendants distributed cocaine, within Puerto Rico and the Continental United States, all for financial gain and profit.

As part of the conspiracy, the members would mail kilograms of cocaine to the Continental United States concealed in U.S. Postal parcels.  Some members of the conspiracy would receive these parcels in the Continental United States for further distribution. Similarly, members of the conspiracy would mail bulk cash consisting of the proceeds of the sales of the narcotics from the Continental United States back to Puerto Rico.

The individuals indicted are:

Yavick Rodriguez-Santos, a/k/a “Yavo”

Lisandro Bermúdez-Negron, a/k/a “Gambo”

Gadiel Figueroa-Rodriguez

Luis Catala-Fuentes, a/k/a “Pinto/El Loco”

Luis Diaz-Ramos

Jose Rivera-Ortiz

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Vance Eaton from the Gang Section is in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison. Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.