US charges 81 in Puerto Rico gang case, as Trump cartel crackdown continues

What the report says

US federal authorities have indicted 81 people in Puerto Rico in a case targeting an alleged drug- and weapons-trafficking group known as Los Baja Deo, or LBD, Al Jazeera reported. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges during a visit to the island, and officials said 70 defendants were arrested a day earlier by the FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department. The case is being handled through a federal task force effort focused on criminal gangs and transnational organizations.

According to the Justice Department allegations described by Al Jazeera, the group began distributing drugs in and around public housing areas and neighborhoods in Mayaguez in 2021. Prosecutors say the operation involved heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana, and used the US Postal Service to move drugs from Puerto Rico. The government also says the group generated more than $49m and seeks to seize $49.7m in assets.

The indictment further alleges that members used violence, including murders and kidnappings, to protect the trafficking network. Those facing only drug counts could receive mandatory minimum prison terms of at least 10 years, while defendants charged with both drug and firearms offenses could face at least 15 years, with life sentences possible if convicted.

The case comes amid President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on cartels and other criminal groups in the Western Hemisphere. Al Jazeera reported that the administration has expanded the use of Homeland Security Task Forces and has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward suspected traffickers, drawing criticism from rights advocates and others over the risk of abuse.