HomeNewsBriefTakedown of Puerto Rico Crime Group Could Spur Struggle to Fill Power Vacuum
BRIEF

Takedown of Puerto Rico Crime Group Could Spur Struggle to Fill Power Vacuum

CARIBBEAN / 19 JAN 2018 BY SCOTT SQUIRES EN

US authorities announced drug-related charges on January 18 against 104 alleged members of a Puerto Rico crime group, in a move that could leave a power vacuum in the US territory’s underworld, possibly paving the way for an uptick in violence on the island.

The defendants, all allegedly belonging to the “Menores,” or “New Blood” gang, were charged on nine counts including drug dealing and murder.

The indictment alleges that the Menores gang took root in Bayamón, a municipality southwest of the Puerto Rican capital San Juan, after federal authorities arrested a slew of other gang leaders in 2010. Authorities say the organization sold drugs out of the housing projects and wards in Bayamón and the surrounding areas.

Federal officials added that the Menores used the US mail system to launder drug profits through the purchase of US Postal Service money orders.

The indictment comes on the heels of the high-profile arrest and later conviction of Puerto Rican drug kingpin José David Figueroa Agosto, aka “Junior Cápsula,” who was sentenced to 30 years in a US prison last August. Junior Cápsula’s colorful drug trafficking career -- which included a publicly released sex tape and a prison break -- earned him the title of “Pablo Escobar of the Caribbean.”

Puerto Rico is a strategic point for drug trafficking routes because once inside the US territory, illegal shipments of narcotics that move between the island and the US mainland are subject to less restrictive inspection than imports from foreign countries.

InSight Crime Analysis

The fall of Junior Cápsula -- once considered among the most powerful drug traffickers in the Caribbean -- along with the disruption of the activities of other gangs operating in the San Juan area likely laid the groundwork for the Menores rise to prominence.

Now, the move against the Menores’ leadership could create a similar power vacuum, potentially leading to an increase in drug-related violence as a new cohort of Puerto Rican drug lords vies for control.

SEE ALSO: Caribbean News and Profile

Indeed, the island saw an increase in drug-related violence after Junior Cápsula’s arrest as homicide rates soared to record levels in 2011. Now that Puerto Rican police and security forces are still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, organized crime outfits could seize the moment to shore up power. Thirty-two people were slain on the island in the first two weeks of 2018, the Associated Press reported.

The Caribbean has seen rising rates of drug trafficking linked to a boom in cocaine production in Colombia, with homegrown criminal cells moving to assert dominance over routes previously controlled by foreign crime groups.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARGENTINA / 8 FEB 2023

InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean.

ELITES AND CRIME / 30 SEP 2021

Evidence and accusations are piling up against Mexico's former top security official Genaro García Luna, as US prosecutors proffer new…

CARIBBEAN / 26 SEP 2022

The cocaine coming from France's territories of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana to its mainland have doubled.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.