Members and Associates of Transnational Criminal Organization Based Out of Añasco, Puerto Rico, Indicted for Violating the RICO Act as part of Homeland Security Task Force Initiative

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal indictment was unsealed today in the District of Puerto Rico charging six defendants with 23 counts of racketeering—murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms violations, committed in furtherance of a transnational criminal organization based out of Añasco, Puerto Rico, that engaged in large-scale drug trafficking in coordination with Venezuela, Colombia, and Dominican Republic sources of supply, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

“This indictment not only alleges crimes of violence but also alleges that these offenses were committed openly and brazenly, and innocent members of the community were killed,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “These crimes have no place in our society, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are fully committed to bringing perpetrators to justice and making our communities safer.”

“This operation demonstrates the relentless commitment of the Homeland Security Task Force, and our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent transnational criminal organizations operating in Puerto Rico and beyond,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge. “This fourth phase of the operation builds on years of investigative work to ensure that dangerous criminal leaders, including Rodríguez-Cumba and his associates, remain behind bars while HSI and its partners continue targeting the drug trafficking, violence, and money laundering networks threatening our communities.”

“This organization operated through violence, intimidation, and the false confidence that they were beyond accountability,” said Carlos R. Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “Today’s operation demonstrates that no criminal network is untouchable when law enforcement components work together with focus, persistence, and a shared commitment to protecting the people. The FBI and our Homeland Security Task Force partners remain committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the individuals and financial networks that enable this violence to persist in Puerto Rico.”

According to the indictment, the transnational criminal organization (hereinafter the Enterprise) was involved in narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The Enterprise also committed and attempted to commit violent acts, including murder and assault. To further their narcotics trafficking operation, the Enterprise used boats to import multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine from Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic into Puerto Rico and subsequently into the continental United States. In order to promote the Enterprise, they laundered and used the drug proceeds to purchase weapons and ammunition, purchased real estate properties, rented properties for the purposes of storing narcotics, purchased vessels, and motor vehicles, amongst other things.

Also, according to the indictment, members of the organization committed acts of violence to further the objectives of the Enterprise. These acts of violence served to promote and enhance the prestige, reputation and position of the Enterprise amongst rival criminal organizations; protect members and associates from law enforcement and rival drug trafficking organizations and preserve and protect their operation. The following murders are part of the charged racketeering acts:

On or about April 15, 2020, [1] Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega was kidnapped by rival drug traffickers for a ransom.  Valentín-Vega was eventually released by the kidnappers. Afterwards, Valentín-Vega sought to murder those that he believed were responsible for the kidnapping, including F.S.C.V. and J.M.S.R, by putting out contracts for their murder.

1. On or about May 21, 2020, in Añasco, PR, believing that F.S.C.V. was in an identified vehicle, J.A.A.F. (deceased) drove two other members of the Enterprise (not charged herein), who fired upon the vehicle, killing Y.M.H.R. (the consensual partner of F.S.C.V.) and R.T.H. (Y.M.H.R.’s eight-year-old daughter).
2. On or about October 9, 2020, in Mayagüez, PR, two members of the Enterprise (not indicted herein) shot and killed E.F.S.O. (the neighbor of F.S.C.V.).
3. On or about October 15, 2020, in Mayagüez, PR, members of the Enterprise (not charged herein) shot and killed F.S.C.V. and E.S.C. (an individual staying in the same residence as F.S.C.V.)
4. After the murder of Y.M.H.R. and R.T.H., J.A.A.F. began to cooperate with Commonwealth of Puerto Rico authorities in the homicide prosecutions of members of the Enterprise. Cooperating Witness J.A.A.F. also identified [2] Rafael Ángel Ruiz-Garcés as one of the individuals who participated in the murders of Y.M.H.R. and R.T.H. Upon learning of J.A.A.F.’s cooperation with authorities, [1] Valentín-Vega put a contract out for the murder of J.A.A.F.  On October 5, 2021, J.A.A.F. was shot and killed.
5. O.D.R. was a member of the Enterprise and a rival within the Enterprise of [5] Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata. [5] Irizarry-Zapata told another member of the Enterprise (not charged herein) that O.D.R. wanted to kill [1] Valentín-Vega and [2] Ruiz-Garcés. [5] Irizarry-Zapata then ordered a member of the Enterprise to kill O.D.R. On March 31, 2022, that member of the Enterprise shot and killed O.D.R.
6. On or about April 14, 2022, in the Middle District of Florida, at the direction of [5] Irizarry-Zapata, a member of the Enterprise (not charged herein) shot and killed J.M.S.R. (one of the kidnappers of [1] Valentín-Vega).

In addition to the murders listed above, the indictment includes several racketeering acts, to wit: conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, importation of cocaine into the United States, attempted importation of cocaine into the United States, witness retaliation conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.

The indictment also charges 22 additional counts, including: racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, importation of cocaine into the United States, attempted importation of cocaine into the United States, murders in-aid-of racketeering, witness retaliation conspiracy,possession firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, money laundering conspiracy, and unlawful monetary transactions over $10,000.

The charged defendants occupied different roles in the Enterprise, to wit, principal leaders, lieutenants, money launderers, transporters, and enforces. The defendants are:

[1] Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega, a.k.a. “Nano/El Viejo”, (Counts 1-16, 17-19, and 21)

[2] Rafael Ángel Ruiz-Garcés, a.k.a. “Pito Rancho/Pito/El Flaco”, (Counts 1-4, 7, 18, and 19)

[3] César E. Carrero-Martínez, a.k.a. “Waldy”, (Counts 1-9, 18, 20, 22, and 23)

[4] Jonathan Hernández-Ruiz, a.k.a. “Tan”, (Counts 1-4, 6, 9, and 18)

[5] Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata, a.k.a. “Luijo”, (Counts 1, 2, 4, 17, and 18)

[6] Luis F. Rivera-Quiñonez, a.k.a. “Nino”, (Counts 3, 4, and 6)

The defendants are facing racketeering and narcotics forfeiture allegations that include the potential forfeiture of the following assets:

1. “Game Changer” - a 2002 Viking, 55-foot vessel
2. “Kay” - a 2020 Boston Whaler, 38-foot vessel
3. Property located in Guayabo Ward of the municipality of Aguada
4. Property located at Caracol Ward of the municipality of Añasco
5. Property located at Piñales Ward of Añasco
6. Property located at Boquerón Ward, El Combate Sector, in the municipality of Cabo Rojo

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio L. Pérez-Alonso and Ryan McCabe from the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering, and Transnational Organized Crime Section are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison. Defendants [1] Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega and [5] Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata are eligible for the death penalty.

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.

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