More than 80 people have been charged in a major operation against a criminal gang in Puerto Rico, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday during a visit to the island, as reported by infohub.kz.
According to federal prosecutors, the gang known as "Los Baja Deo" trafficked fentanyl, cocaine, and other illegal drugs from the city of Mayagüez for years, generating nearly $50 million in proceeds. The group is also linked to shootings, killings, kidnappings, and assaults, and 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," the newly confirmed attorney general told reporters at the U.S. attorney's office in San Juan.
Blanche's presence in the U.S. Caribbean territory underscores the Trump administration's efforts to highlight its work tackling cartels and gangs that fuel drug trafficking and violence. The administration has dramatically reshaped the Justice Department to prioritize illegal immigration and violent crime.
"These 81 violent gang members will now face justice and so will any other that try to take their place," said Héctor Ramírez-Carbó, acting U.S. attorney for Puerto Rico. "Today, the families of Mayagüez can peacefully enjoy what their communities have to offer without fear of harm."