A federal grand jury indicted 41 suspected gang members in Puerto Rico accused of smuggling drugs into the continental United States as part of a $58 million operation were formally arrested, authorities said Wednesday.
Among those arrested are Several of the alleged leaders of drug trafficking in US territory, according to Joseph González, special agent in charge of the FBI in San Juan.
He said that the suspects are accused ?? of distributing drugs that arrived by boat from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
The US Attorney’s Office said the suspects are also accused of distributing heroin, crack, prescription pills and other drugs near various public housing complexes in the capital of San Juan over the past six years.
Three of the 41 suspects are charged with money laundering , including the purchase of automobiles with proceeds from the alleged drug sales.
Authorities said the suspects would prepare the drugs in abandoned apartments in public housing units and hide them in properties using rental apps like AirBnb.