Former Leader of Violent Transnational Criminal Organization Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Continuing Criminal Enterprise
Sentencing is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations and violent drug trafficking networks
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – José Julio Rodríguez-Cumba, also known as “Chambi,” “Chembi,” “Josué,” “Chambo,” and “Patrón,” was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Pedro A. Delgado to 360 months (30 years) in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for operating a continuing criminal enterprise responsible for trafficking large quantities of cocaine into Puerto Rico and the continental United States.
Rodríguez-Cumba was arrested in the District of Puerto Rico on October 4, 2021, and pleaded guilty on April 14, 2026.
According to court documents, Rodríguez-Cumba directed a large-scale drug trafficking organization that used land and maritime transportation assets to import and distribute multi-hundred-kilogram shipments of cocaine from South America into Puerto Rico and the continental United States. Rodríguez-Cumba admitted responsibility for more than 2,000 kilograms of cocaine intended for unlawful importation and distribution in the United States as part of the criminal enterprise.
The organization generated millions of dollars in illicit proceeds. Rodríguez-Cumba also directed members of the enterprise to use violence and possess firearms, including machine guns, to protect and further the organization’s drug trafficking activities.
From approximately July 2023 through May 22, 2024, while detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Rodríguez-Cumba caused other individuals to introduce buprenorphine into the facility.
As part of his conviction, Rodríguez-Cumba agreed to the forfeiture of multiple assets associated with his criminal activity, including the luxury yacht “El Ancla,” a 2014 Pershing 62-foot vessel, as well as cash, real property, personal property, and firearms.
“This 30-year sentence sends a clear message to transnational criminal organizations operating in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean: DEA and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue those who traffic dangerous drugs, employ violence, and use firearms to protect their criminal enterprises,” said Michael Mayer, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Caribbean Division. “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, we are combining the capabilities of federal, state, local, and international partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the organizations that threaten our communities. No amount of money, violence, or influence will place these criminal organizations beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement.”
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Homeland Security Task Force
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 interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the resources of U.S. law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which fuel violence and instability within U.S. communities. 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 available law enforcement authorities to prosecute and remove violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF San Juan includes agents and officers from the FBI; ICE-HSI; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including the Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine Operations, and U.S. Border Patrol; 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; U.S. Department of State; U.S. Secret Service; Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA; Transportation Security Administration; Federal Aviation Administration; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
State and local participating agencies include the Puerto Rico Police Bureau; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments; Puerto Rico National Guard Counterdrug Program; Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury; Puerto Rico Ports Authority; and Virgin Islands Police Department.
About the DEA Caribbean Division
The DEA Caribbean Division is responsible for enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and investigating major drug trafficking organizations operating throughout Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean region. DEA works alongside federal, state, local, and international partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety and security of the United States.
