West Virginia Fugitives Apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR – The U.S. Marshals Service Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force (PRVOTF) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), arrested in Caguas and Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, two men wanted in West Virginia on charges of conspiracy to produce and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.

Victor Jose Canales, 45, of Puerto Rico, was arrested without incident in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.

Yan Lionel Diaz-Cruz, 27, of Puerto Rico, was arrested without incident in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

The indictment was issued on July 23 by Northern District of West Virginia Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble. Canales and Diaz-Cruz were part of a drug trafficking organization that operates in West Virginia with alleged has ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel. According to the investigation, drugs were shipped from Puerto Rico through the U.S. Postal Service, as well as from a source connected to the Sinaloa Cartel to the state of West Virginia. In total, 25 individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on this case. These arrests are the product of a OCDETF investigation that began in 2023.

“These significant arrests by our team of dedicated members of the Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force from the U.S. Marshals Service is a great example of the result of combined efforts from various federal agencies across the nation,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “It is a priority in our District to take out of the streets dangerous fugitives, such as Canales and Diaz-Cruz, who are part of a transnational drug trafficking organization that brings fentanyl and cocaine to our communities. We will not stop in our efforts to pursue those who believe they can evade the law. They may try to hide, but know that the District of Puerto Rico of the U.S. Marshals Service will assign all the necessary resources to support the efforts of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force, led by the U.S Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico.”

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6540, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App. 

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program was established in 1982. OCDETF mission is to destabilize and disrupt the most serious criminal organizations. The goal of this initiative is the continued, systematic disruption and dismantlement of transnational-organized-crime. The USMS has presence in the OCDETF Strike Forces in key cities throughout the country. These Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that are forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who work together over time and are a proven model in combating transnational-organized-crime. 

Source: U.S. Marshals Service, usmarshals.gov