United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Caribbean Division announced federal charges against 17 alleged members of a drug trafficking organization operating in Aguadilla following Operation Los Tíos, an investigation conducted through the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative.

The DEA and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s Aguadilla Strike Force led the investigation, with collaboration from the Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned the indictment on October 21, 2026, charging the defendants with drug trafficking and firearms offenses.

“Operation Los Tíos sends a clear message: the DEA’s mission extends throughout Puerto Rico. No community in Puerto Rico is beyond our reach, and no drug trafficking organization is beyond the reach of justice,” said Michael Mayer, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Caribbean Division. “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, the DEA, and our federal, state, and local partners are combining our intelligence, resources, and operational capabilities to dismantle violent criminal organizations. Our commitment to public safety extends across all of Puerto Rico; throughout every municipality, we will continue working together to protect our communities and bring those who threaten them to justice.”

According to the indictment, beginning in 2022, the organization distributed heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of the Las Muñecas Public Housing Project in Aguadilla and in nearby areas for significant financial gain.

The organization allegedly distributed wholesale and street-level quantities of controlled substances and trafficked illegal firearms, operating drug points in public housing developments and neighborhoods in and around Aguadilla. Members allegedly used two-way radios, cell phones, instant messaging, and social media to communicate. Leaders held meetings to issue instructions, resolve disputes, and coordinate the organization’s activities.

The indictment further alleges that members participated in acts of violence, including shootings and murders, to advance their drug trafficking operations. Defendants allegedly served as leaders, drug point owners, enforcers, runners, sellers, lookouts, and facilitators.

Six defendants face charges of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. One of those defendants also faces a charge of possessing a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The defendants charged are:

1. Alexander Torres Cintrón, also known as “Guesito/Huesito.”
2. Jonathan Pérez Cintrón, also known as “Jona.”
3. Fernando M. Pagán Flores, also known as “Pri/P.”
4. Wesley Ortiz-Soto, also known as “Wes/Negro.”
5. Jesús Román Marrero, also known as “Chucky.”
6. Jeremy D. Medina Acevedo, also known as “Oscuridad.”
7. Edwin Y. Santiago Marín, also known as “Yadi/Yadiel/Pacho.”
8. Christian Rivera Cardona, also known as “Romántico.”
9. José Rosario Bermúdez, also known as “Joker.”
10. Yan P. Serrano Vizcarrondo, also known as “Domi/Pipi.”
11. Efraín Colón Morales, also known as “Cholón.”
12. Lizbeth Dávila Pedrasa, also known as “Lizbeth/Chispa.”
13. Bryan Tosado Pedraza, also known as “Chancla/Pichi.”
14. Kelvin Torres De Lancer, also known as “Troko.”
15. Jorge Christian Acevedo Pérez.
16. Ángel L. Román García, also known as “Iche.”
17. Raynell Caravallo Vázquez, also known as “Raynell.”

If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison. Defendants convicted of both the drug charges and the firearms offense in Count Five face a minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison. The machinegun offense charged in Count Six carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years, to be served consecutively to any sentence imposed for the drug trafficking charges.

The indictment also includes a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $4,334,375 against all defendants.

This prosecution is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The initiative brings together federal, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks.

Through HSTF San Juan, DEA Caribbean Division and its partners combine intelligence, investigative resources, and operational capabilities to target drug trafficking organizations and related violence throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.