US Indicts 81 in Puerto Rico Gang Case, Extending Trump Crackdown
Al Jazeera Staff
The US Justice Department has indicted 81 people on drug and weapons charges tied to the Los Baja Deo gang in Puerto Rico, as part of President Trump's crackdown on organized crime. Arrests included 70 defendants, and officials tout the action as a major blow to drug trafficking.
The US Justice Department on January 8 announced indictments against 81 people accused of drug and weapons violations, within the framework of a crackdown on the Los Baja Deo (LBD) criminal gang operating in Puerto Rico.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges during a visit to Puerto Rico on Thursday. A day earlier, the FBI and Puerto Rico Police arrested 70 of the defendants.
Blanche emphasized: “This is a warning to those terrorizing our communities. Domestic security task forces across the country are united to end the presence of drug gangs, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations across America.”
The indictment states that, since 2021, LBD members began distributing drugs in public housing and residential areas in Mayaguez, a city in western Puerto Rico. They also exploited US postal services to send drugs from the island—a US territory—to other locations. The drugs allegedly trafficked include heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana.
According to the Justice Department, over the past five years, LBD distributed at least 340 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced drugs and at least 2,200 kilograms of cocaine. The network earned over $49 million. The indictment also alleges members used violence, including murder and kidnapping, to protect their drug trade.
Defendants facing only drug charges could face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Those indicted on both drug and weapons charges could face a minimum of 15 years. In both cases, the maximum sentence upon conviction is life in prison. The Justice Department is also seeking to forfeit $49.7 million in related assets.
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the law enforcement effort in the case as “outstanding” and deemed the large-scale arrests a major blow to drug trafficking into the US mainland. He said: “These arrests dismantled one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in western Puerto Rico, eliminating its leadership and distribution network, and cutting off a critical drug pipeline flowing into our country.”
The arrests were carried out under the Domestic Security Task Forces established by Trump via a 2025 executive order, targeting drug gangs, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The network includes over 9,000 federal agents, officers, and analysts.
Since the start of his second term, the Trump administration has begun designating Latin American criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” allowing US authorities to pursue them under counterterrorism laws. However, critics warn that such designations could be abused to justify extrajudicial killings and expand executive power.
Since September 2, 2025, the Trump administration has repeatedly bombed small vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, claiming they were transporting drugs. Approximately 227 people have been killed in these airstrikes, but no evidence has been provided, and the identities of the victims largely remain unknown.
