SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Oscar Luis Mendoza Flores, a member of a violent drug trafficking gang that operated in the municipality of Cayey between 2008 and 2015, was sentenced by U.S District Judge Pedro A. Delgado-Hernández to a term of 360 months (30 years) in prison, announced United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow.
Oscar Luis Mendoza Flores was charged in a six-count indictment along with 32 other defendants in November 9, 2015, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of cocaine, heroin, crack, marijuana, alprazolam and oxycodone. Immigration and Customs Enforcement- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), Guayama Strike Force, were in charge of the investigation.
The indictment alleged that beginning in 2008, the organization distributed controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a real property comprising Luis Muñoz Morales and Brisas de Cayey Public Housing Projects (PHP), San Tomás and Canteras Wards, and other areas nearby and within the Municipality of Cayey, Puerto Rico, all for financial gain and profit. After being convicted at trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in a protected location, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin and marijuana in a protected location, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Oscar Luis Mendoza Flores was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 300 months for the drug trafficking charges, and a term of imprisonment of 60 months to be served consecutively, for the possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, for a total term of imprisonment of 360 months.
Members of the gang, including the defendant, participated in shootings in the common areas of the Luis Muñoz Morales PHP and surrounding areas. These shootings were meant to threaten and intimidate rival gangs, and endangered the lives of the law-abiding citizens residing in these neighborhoods. The co-conspirators possessed handguns of different makes, models, and calibers, as well as fully automatic handguns and high-power rifles.
“This lengthy sentence is the result of the outstanding work and collaboration between the PRPB Strike Forces, and Federal law enforcement (HSI Ponce),” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “I commend the investigative and prosecution team for their hard work. We will continue our joint efforts to dismantle violent gangs and ensure safety for all citizens of Puerto Rico.”
Deputy Chief of the Gang Section Teresa S. Zapata Valladares and Assistant United States Attorney César Rivera-Giraud prosecuted the case
