American authorities arrested and charged 37 alleged cocaine dealers on Wednesday, accusing them of orchestrating an elaborate smuggling operation that saw mules fly from Puerto Rico the US carrying custom-made suitcases equipped with hidden compartments full of cocaine pressed into the shape of magazines.
The bust was the work of a division of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which investigates South American gangs that use the Caribbean as distribution hub for coke destined for the US, according to an announcement by Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez, the federal prosecutor in Puerto Rico, which is a US territory.
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Investigators found that over the course of about two years, organizers at the top of the ring provided drug mules with suitcases containing false bottoms that were filled with about two kilograms of cocaine each. The drugs were vacuum-sealed and pressed into the shape of a magazine, and then wrapped in carbon paper, according to charging documents. Other leaders of the group would book commercial flights out of Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, while others would recruit and pay mules.
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The alleged ringleaders of the operation who provided the suitcases and booked the flights were identified by prosecutors as Luis Rivera-Ramos, Kenneth Rivera-Ramos, Kevin Collazo-Rodriguez, Ruben Barcelo-Severino, and Jesus Vasquez Rivera.
Authorities say the leaders of the ring trained the mules specifically on how to avoid being traced back to the leaders if they were to get caught, and threatened them with violence if they cooperated with police.
A federal grand jury indicted the leaders along with more than 30 alleged mules accused of traveling with the suitcases, charging them with participating in a conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Three people were also charged with conspiracy to tamper with a witness.
“These arrests are a clear indication of the success of the OCEDTF in the fight against drug trafficking,” Rodríguez-Vélez said in a statement.
The OCDETF is a specialized bureau within the Justice Department that conducts long-term investigations in order to try and disrupt major cartels, according to DOJ information. The group also targets drug-related money laundering activities.
Related: Massive Bust Brings Charges Against Puerto Rico Drug Syndicate
A January report from the White House highlighted how federal authorities could make business more difficult for narcos by cracking down on Caribbean smuggling routes, which have been used for frequently in recent years. The report said cocaine was the preferred product of Caribbean traffickers.
The Puerto Rican prosecutor claimed that the bust effectively “dismantled” one of the island’s major crime groups, and vowed that the feds will continue waging the war on drugs in the Caribbean for the foreseeable future.
“Today’s arrests dismantle an organization that coordinated not only the traffic of cocaine between Puerto Rico and the Continental United States, but also the movement of drug money, essential to the success of these illegal activities,” Rodríguez-Vélez said. “We will continue maximizing all of our combined resources to investigate and prosecute those who disregard our laws and try to smuggle illegal contraband into our jurisdiction.”
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