17 Members of a Drug Trafficking Organization Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Violations in Aguadilla, PR, as part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Initiative

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On October 21, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 17 gang members from Aguadilla with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced Héctor Ramírez Carbó, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) Aguadilla Strike Force, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, the Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

“Drug trafficking organizations like the one alleged in today’s indictment inflict profound harm on our communities—fueling addiction, poisoning our youth, sowing fear, and endangering innocent lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ramírez‑Carbó. “Today’s arrests send a clear message to those who endanger our neighborhoods through drug trafficking and firearms offenses: You will be identified, your organization dismantled and will pay the price. We will continue working alongside the DEA and our HSTF law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of every community in Puerto Rico. Today’s operation just happens to complement DEA’s Red Ribbon Campaign for safer communities and a drug-free life.”

“Operation Los Tíos sends a clear message: the DEA’s mission extends throughout Puerto Rico. No community in Puerto Rico is beyond our reach, and no drug trafficking organization is beyond the reach of justice,” said Michael Mayer, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Caribbean Division. “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, the DEA, and our federal, state, and local partners are combining our intelligence, resources, and operational capabilities to dismantle violent criminal organizations. Our commitment to public safety extends across all of Puerto Rico; throughout every municipality, we will continue working together to protect our communities and bring those who threaten them to justice.”

The indictment alleges that from 2022, the drug trafficking organization distributed heroin, cocaine base (crack), and fentanyl, within 1,000 feet of the Las Muñecas Public Housing Project (PHP) in Aguadilla, and areas nearby, all for significant financial gain and profit. The object of the conspiracy was to distribute wholesale quantities and street amount quantities of controlled substances and to traffic illegal firearms in Aguadilla and areas nearby. They operated drug points out of different housing projects and wards in or around Aguadilla. The defendants communicated with each other using two-way radios and cell phones, via instant messaging and social media platforms. Leaders conducted meetings to resolve issues, give instructions, and discuss items of interest to the drug trafficking organization.

It is alleged that members of the drug trafficking organization participated in acts of violence, including shootings and murders, to further their drug trafficking operations.

The defendants acted in different roles to further the goals of the drug trafficking conspiracy, including as leaders, drug point owners, enforcers, runners, sellers, lookouts, and facilitators. Six (6) defendants are facing one charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one (1) of those defendants is facing one count of possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendants charged in the indictment are: [1] Alexander Torres Cintrón, a.k.a. “Guesito/Huesito”[2] Jonathan Pérez Cintrón, a.k.a. “Jona,”[3] Fernando M. Pagán Flores, a.k.a. “Pri/P”[4] Wesley Ortiz-Soto, a.k.a. “Wes/Negro”[5] Jesús Román Marrero, a.k.a. “Chucky”[6] Jeremy D. Medina Acevedo, a.k.a. “Oscuridad”[7] Edwin Y. Santiago Marín, a.k.a. “Yadi/Yadiel/Pacho” [8] Christian Rivera Cardona, a.k.a. “Romántico”[9] José Rosario Bermúdez, a.k.a. “Joker” [10] Yan P. Serrano Vizcarrondo, a.k.a. “Domi/Pipi” [11] Efraín Colón Morales, a.k.a. “Cholón”[12] Lizbeth Dávila Pedrasa, a.k.a. “Lizbeth/Chispa” [13] Bryan Tosado Pedraza, a.k.a. “Chancla/Pichi” [14] Kelvin Torres De Lancer, a.k.a. “Troko” [15] Jorge Christian Acevedo Pérez [16] Ángel L. Román García, a.k.a. “Iche”[17] Raynell Caravallo Vázquez, a.k.a. “Raynell”Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division Myriam Y. Fernández, and AUSA Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison. If convicted of both the drug and firearms charges in Count Five, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to life in prison. The defendant charged with possession of machine guns in furtherance of drug trafficking in Count Six faces a mandatory minimum sentence of thirty years in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the drug trafficking charges. All defendants are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $4,334,375.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.