SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On February 14, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment charging 11 individuals for drug trafficking, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau are investigating the case.
According to court documents, from April of 2019 and continuing up to and until September of 2022, the following defendants knowingly and intentionally, combined, conspired, and agreed with others, to knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine using the U.S. Postal Service.
[1] Emmanuel A. Fernández García
[2] Edwin Orlando Carrasquillo
[3] Efraín Guillermo Vila Serrano
[4] Marymar Marrero Torres
[5] Pedro Benjamín Marrero Torres
[6] Arajulia Ramírez Del Valle
[7] Sebastián Restrepo Cano
[8] Luis Dejesus III
[9] Gadelys Rosario Alvarado
[10] Tyrone José Beltrán Lugo
[11] David Custodio Hernández
The defendants are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $6,930,000.
“Drug trafficking poses a significant threat to public health and safety,” said United States Attorney Muldrow. “This criminal organization distributed cocaine into communities across the East Coast in various ways, including the mail. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its partners will continue to pursue drug traffickers and to seek justice for our communities.”
“The arrests made today in Massachusetts, Florida, and Puerto Rico highlight the broad reach of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service when it comes to dismantling criminal drug trafficking organizations that pose a serious public safety threat,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “Postal inspectors aggressively seek to rid the mail of illicit narcotics, preserve the integrity of the mail and, most importantly, provide a safe environment for postal employees and Postal Service customers. I would like to commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all the law enforcement agencies on this case. Together we will prevent these dangerous and addictive drugs from reaching our streets and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
The defendants arrested in Puerto Rico are scheduled for their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos-Vega of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charged in count one of the indictment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Vance Eaton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
