Press Release
Individual Arrested For Firearms Offenses and Drug Trafficking
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Puerto Rico
The individual was wearing an ankle electronic monitoring system and was released from State prison under a Habeas Corpus since May of 2020, pending murder and weapon charges
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– United States Magistrate Judge Marcos E. López authorized a criminal complaint against Noel Ramán-Santiago, from Arecibo, charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, announced United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is in charge of the investigation of the case.
According to the information contained in the affidavit, on May 19, 2021, agents from the Puerto Rico Police Bureau assigned to the Arecibo special arrest unit went to execute a state issued arrest warrant for a fugitive at the Las Mesetas Public Housing Project in the municipality of Arecibo. When the agents arrived they observed Román-Santiago placing a firearm with a high capacity magazine inside a backpack he was carrying.
The agents placed the defendant under arrest and found one white pistol with a Glock slide and barrel, .40 caliber with one round in the chamber and no rounds in the magazine. There were two other empty Glock, .40 caliber magazines; one with 29 rounds capacity and the other with nine rounds capacity. The officers also found 66 small bags with marihuana inside, 58 small bags with crack, and five small bags with cocaine inside. The narcotics were for sale.
If convicted, Ramán-Santiago faces a mandatory minimum of five years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Pedro R. Casablanca is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Updated May 21, 2021
Topics
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses