U.S. Marshals in Puerto Rico Apprehend Local Drug Trafficker
San Juan, PR – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force (PRVOTF) Aug. 8 arrested in Guaynabo a man with a state and a federal warrant on charges of physically abusing and beating his wife and of conspiracy to produce and distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
Luis Yerier Jorge-Pabon, 32, was arrested without incident in Public Housing Project Complex Alejandrino in Guaynabo.
As a result of the arrest, USMS PRVOTF seized two Glock pistols (modified to fire fully automatic), numerous gun magazines and ammunition, and a large number of drugs divided for distribution in different containers and paraphernalia from Jorge-Pabon’s immediacies.
On June 8, 2023, a magistrate judge from the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico issued an indictment charging 40 violent gang members from the municipality of San Juan with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations. The pertaining indictment was the result of a two-year investigation known as Operation "Gangster’s Paradise" conducted by Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Jorge-Pabon was one of the individuals charged in the indictment. Members of the drug trafficking organization have been sentenced to federal prison for drug and money laundering violations.
On May 3, Puerto Rico State Court of Bayamon Judge Aida E. Melendez Juarbe issued an arrest warrant against Jorge-Pabon on charges of assault and physical aggression against his wife, in an incident reported the same year in the town of Guaynabo.
“The U.S. Marshals Service continues working to find and take off the streets those individuals who think they are above the law,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “Even with state and federal warrants against him, Jorge-Pabon continued committing crimes. He and others should know that no matter where they hide, the U.S. Marshals will find and arrest them to help keep our communities safe.”
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program was established in 1982. The OCDETF mission is to destabilize and disrupt the most serious crime organizations. The goal of this initiative is the continued, systematic disruption and dismantlement of OCDETF Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs).
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 forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who work together over time and are a proven model in combating organized crime.
The U.S. Marshals Service 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.
Source: U.S. Marshals Service, usmarshals.gov
