Nearly a hundred people are facing arrest warrants for selling drugs near schools and recreational areas in 25 municipalities.

Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) Superintendent Joseph González stated that Operation “Safe Spaces” targeted 94 adults facing charges, of whom 88 are men and six are women, for whom the courts set a total bail of $8.9 million.

Of that total, as of noon today, 60 had been apprehended, while an arrest warrant for a minor is still pending.

“Over the course of approximately five months of investigation, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) documented the sale of controlled substances in places where children and young people study, play, and participate in recreational activities ,” González said at a press conference.

He added that “when someone decides to sell drugs near one of these areas, they are not only breaking the law, but also putting our children’s future and the peace of our communities at risk.”

“All those arrested face charges under Article 411a of the Controlled Substances Act,” he explained.

This refers to a provision that is not always applied, but which results in aggravating circumstances in court and precludes the possibility of a reduced sentence if the defendant decides to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement.

“These are very serious crimes,” said prosecutor Héctor Siaca of the Violent Crimes Division of the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. “Depending on the substance sold to the agents, we’re looking at 20 years for some substances and 12 years for others. The sentence can be increased depending on each individual’s specific circumstances, and a 411 charge adds a slightly harsher penalty, as it doubles the sentence.”

Siaca expressed confidence that the allegations will hold up in court

“The evidence is extremely strong,” the prosecutor maintained. “In most of these cases—if not almost all of them—we have video evidence.”

According to the police, investigators documented 28 drug transactions near schools and another 67 near recreational areas, resulting in a total of 249 reports.

“The poison of drugs makes our young people who frequent these places more vulnerable and leaves them at the mercy of these individuals,” said Colonel Carlos Cruz, assistant superintendent of special operations.

He emphasized that during the five months the investigation lasted, undercover agents paid $25,000 in various transactions to gather evidence against the alleged drug dealers.

“Intelligence reports tell us that these people owned nice cars, had nice homes, and had jobs—those who worked, that is, because some of them devoted themselves solely to this. But, yes, it definitely gives these people a certain level of economic means that puts them a little above the average citizen,” he explained.

For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Luyando said that those agents specifically documented that the transactions were taking place in areas protected under Article 411a.

As an example, he mentioned the Juan Jiménez García and Raúl Castellón housing complexes in Caguas, where “the layouts around the court area are very similar, as has been documented.”

However, Luyando noted that they also found evidence of transactions in locations outside residential areas, while Siaca confirmed that the charges were filed after they were able to verify evidence that everything took place within a 100-meter radius of recreational areas and schools.

The other municipalities affected were Aguadilla, Aguada, San Sebastián, Añasco, Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo, San Germán, Lajas, Sabana Grande, Yauco, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, Villalba, Juana Díaz, Cidra, Caguas, Guayama, Arroyo, Yabucoa, Hmacao, Naguabo, Carolina, and Canóvanas.

The seized evidence includes 136 bags of cocaine, 399 pieces of crack, 101 pieces of marijuana, one pound of marijuana, 30 grams of fentanyl, 123 packets of heroin, and nine motor vehicles.

“These people took us to these recreational areas. We had intelligence indicating that these people used to distribute drugs near these recreational areas,” Cruz said.

“They aren’t affiliated with any single organization. We’re talking about a very complex problem. These are people who are specifically involved in distributing controlled substances, often near these recreational areas,” he said.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.