United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - On May 20, 2014, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned two indictments against eight defendants charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Today Drug Enforcement (DEA) agents and officers of the Puerto Rico Police (PRPD) executed the arrest warrants with assistance from the Food and Drug (FDA), and the Puerto Rico Treasury Department as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. 

The eight individuals; Jorge Gonzalez-Fernandez, Tulio Figuero-Santiago, Jose Cubillete-Diaz, Saul Figueroa-Alvarez, Dennis Ocasio-Otero, Indalecio Rosa-Vazquez, Jorge Rivera-Otero, and Ronald Rosa-Ramos, offered to sell drug paraphernalia and conspired to manufacture and distribute heroin, and cocaine. They would sell and offer equipment, products, and material of any kind which were primarily intended and designed for use in manufacturing, processing, and producing controlled substances. The items sold included “cut materials” used to process cocaine and heroin such as: Lactose, Caffeine, Juppa, Mannitol, Chocolate, and Lidocaine and approximately 3,000 glass vials. They would further provide detailed instructions to the buyers as to the amount of drug adulterants to be utilized for maximum results.  

“Our efforts to disrupt the drug trade in Puerto Rico will include investigations and prosecutions such as this one, where the defendants sold drug paraphernalia and adulterants used in the manufacture, processing and distribution  of controlled substances by drug trafficking organizations.” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

“Businesses engaged in the sale of drug paraphernalia and drug adulterants to drug trafficking organizations are equally responsible for the crimes and violence associated with the drug trafficking activity affecting our island” said Vito Salvatore Guarino, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA, Caribbean Division “DEA will continue attacking the drug problem in all fronts. Selling paraphernalia and adulterants to the drug traffickers is a federal crime”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Laborde is in charge of the prosecution of the case.  If convicted the defendants face a minimum sentence of no less than 10 years up to life in prison for counts under 21 USC 846 and 841 and not more than three years in charges under 21 USC 863.  Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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