United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The DEA Caribbean Division announced today that a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment on May 28, 2026, charging Harold Borrero-Borrero with federal narcotics and firearms offenses stemming from an investigation into drug trafficking activities operating from the Enrique Catoni Public Housing Project in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.

According to court documents, beginning in or about 2025, Borrero-Borrero allegedly conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine), and marijuana. During his arrest on May 21, 2026, law enforcement officers allegedly recovered controlled substances and multiple firearms, including a firearm without a serial number.

The investigation revealed that members of the organization allegedly maintained access to a vehicle resembling an unmarked law enforcement vehicle, utilized a stash house to store kilogram and street-level quantities of narcotics, packaging materials, firearms, and ammunition, and maintained records documenting narcotics sales and cash distributions. Investigators also recovered tools commonly associated with drug trafficking operations, including a bulletproof vest, ski masks, an additional license plate, and a safe.

The indictment charges Borrero-Borrero with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.

“This case demonstrates the dangerous intersection between drug trafficking and armed criminal organizations operating within our communities,” said DEA Caribbean Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Mayer. “The defendant is accused of maintaining a drug trafficking operation supported by firearms, large quantities of narcotics, and other tools used to facilitate criminal activity. The DEA Caribbean Division, working side-by-side with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to identifying, investigating, and dismantling organizations that threaten the safety and security of the people of Puerto Rico. Those who choose to profit from drug trafficking should understand that we will continue to pursue them relentlessly and bring them before the federal justice system.”

Borrero-Borrero made his initial appearance on May 21, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos E. López of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The case is being investigated by the DEA Caribbean Division and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Myriam Y. Fernández-González, Chief of the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering & Transnational Organized Crime Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney María L. Montañez-Concepción, Deputy Chief of the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering & Transnational Organized Crime Section.

An indictment contains allegations only. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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