Gang trafficked fentanyl from Mayagüez, generated nearly $50 million
The indictment charges more than 80 people in connection with Los Baja Deo, a Puerto Rican gang federal prosecutors say trafficked fentanyl, cocaine and other illegal drugs from Mayagüez on the island’s west coast, generating nearly $50 million in proceeds.
The gang distributed at least 340 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics, according to the Justice Department, which also attributes shootings, killings, kidnappings and assaults to the group.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges Thursday from the U.S. attorney’s office in San Juan, during a trip the department says is part of the Trump administration’s effort to tackle violent crime.
“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 told reporters in San Juan.