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Press Release

Six Individuals Indicted For Drug Trafficking

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Puerto Rico
Defendants are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of 15 million dollars

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On October 13, 2016, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment against six defendants charged with conspiracy import controlled substances from the Dominican Republic into Puerto Rico, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations is in charge of the investigation with collaboration from the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force and the Police of Puerto Rico.  

The indictment, which was unsealed yesterday, alleges that from about January 2013 through in or about May 2013, defendants Erick Mosquea-Polanco; Juan José De La Cruz-Morales; Kevin De Morla-Santana; Rudy Contreras-Severino; José Morales-Soto; and Sandy Hernández-Mieses conspired to intentionally and knowingly import and attempt to import from the Dominican Republic into the United States more than five kilograms of cocaine.

The indictment alleges that the defendants knowingly and unlawfully conspired to launder over one million dollars which were the product of drug trafficking.  

During the arrest of Sandy Hernández yesterday, HSI Agents found over $30,000 U.S. cash, three weapons (two Glock and one Beretta pistols), and more than one thousand seven hundred kilograms of cocaine. Of the six persons in the indictment three were arrested and 3 are awaiting extradition from the Dominican Republic.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Laborde is in charge of the prosecution of the case, under the supervision of Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Díaz-Rex, Supervisor of the Narcotics Unit. If convicted the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years up to life in prison.  Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Updated November 4, 2016

Topic
Drug Trafficking