Official: 41 indicted in $58M Puerto Rico drug operation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted 41 suspected gang members in Puerto Rico accused of smuggling drugs to the U.S mainland as part of a $58 million operation, authorities said Wednesday.

Those arrested include several of the U.S. territory’s suspected drug trafficking leaders, according to Joseph González, special agent in charge of the FBI in San Juan.

He said the suspects are accused of distributing drugs that arrived via ships from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the suspects also are accused of distributing heroin, crack, prescription pills and other drugs near various public housing complexes in the capital of San Juan for the past six years.