52 Members of the Criminal Organization Known as La Familia Nunca Muere (The Family Never Dies) Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Violations in San Juan, Morovis, and[...]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - On March 17, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 52 gang members from the municipalities of San Juan, Morovis, and Cataño with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) San Juan Strike Force, with the collaboration of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) and Air and Marine Operations (AMO), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Today during the arrests, the following agencies provided support: Puerto Rico National Guard, Guaynabo Municipal Police, Bayamón Municipal Police, and San Juan Municipal Police.

"Thanks to the great investigative work of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, the important leaders, enforcers and other members of the violent gang are being taken off our streets," said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. "These arrests reflect our steadfast determination to remove violent gangs from our communities."

"This operation makes one thing absolutely clear, those who choose to spread violence and poison our communities will be relentlessly pursued and dismantled," said Acting DEA SAC Evan Martínez. "There is no safe haven for criminal organizations in Puerto Rico. Together with our federal and local partners, we are applying every resource, every authority, and every strategy to hold these individuals accountable. We will not stop, we will not slow down, and we will not back off until our communities are safer and justice is served."

The indictment alleges that from 2018 to the present, the drug trafficking organization distributed cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of the Los Lirios (San Juan), Jardines de Cataño (Cataño), Juana Matos (Cataño), El Coquí (Cataño), and Nemesio Rosario Canales (San Juan) Public Housing Projects (PHPs), and areas near those locations, all for significant financial gain and profit.

The object of the conspiracy was to distribute wholesale quantities and street amount quantities of controlled substances at those PHPs. At times, gang members would pool resources from different areas such as the Luis Lloréns Torres and the Vista Hermos PHPs, Barriada Figueroa and others within the municipalities of San Juan, Morovis, and Cataño. The organization referred to itself as "La Familia Nunca Muere" (The Family Never Dies) (hereinafter "LFNM"), also sometimes referred to as "Los Incorregibles" (The Incorrigibles) or "La Colectora" or "La Cole" (The Collectors). The defendants communicated with each other using two-way radios and cell phones, via instant messaging and social media. Members of LFNM promoted themselves, their narcotics, their firearms, their money, and their gang using social media. Some leaders who were incarcerated participated in meetings using contraband cellular phones, normally via video call.

It is alleged that members of LFNM participated in acts of violence, including shootings and murders, in response to mere perceived threats, without first verifying the veracity of the threats. The defendants carried out shootings and murders in public places, in broad daylight, and in the presence of innocent bystanders, including children. Shootings also took place in public establishments such as bars and nightclubs. During the commission of these shootings, LFNM members would often use bulletproof vests, gloves, face masks and other face coverings. At times, they would use stolen or carjacked cars to evade capture and arrest by law enforcement. The investigation, including investigation regarding murders committed by the gang, remains ongoing.

The defendants acted in different roles to further the goals of the drug trafficking conspiracy, including as leaders, suppliers, drug point owners, enforcers, runners, sellers, lookouts, and facilitators. Forty defendants are facing one charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and twenty-one of those defendants are facing one count of possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendants charged in the indictment are:

[1] Tomás Junior Sánchez-González, a.k.a. "Father/Boss/Patrón/Gemelo"
[2] Junior Tomás Sánchez-González, a.k.a. "Bere/Bereta/Gemelo"
[3] Jaime Vázquez-Román, a.k.a. "Tio/Tioito"
[4] Edwin Rivera-Pérez, a.k.a. "Bubu"
[5] Carlos D. Valladares-Díaz, a.k.a. "Dany/Lalo/Ojos Bellos/Ojos Lindos"
[6] Omar Matías-Martínez, a.k.a. "KTM"
[7] Duhamel J. Natal-González, a.k.a. "Banchi"
[8] Luis Joel Rivera-Torres, a.k.a. "Taly"
[9] Nestor N. González-Muñíz, a.k.a. "Silencio/Mudo"
[10] Randy Padilla-Fernández, a.k.a. "R"
[11] Tomás Niochar Sánchez-Feliciano, a.k.a. "Nio"
[12] Ángel De Jesús-Vasquez, a.k.a. Ángel De Jesús-Vázquez/El Negro/D.O."
[13] Jonathan González-Agosto, a.k.a. "Tatán"
[14] Israel J. González-Rosado, a.k.a. "Kiko"
[15] Saúl Rodríguez-Serrano, a.k.a. "Patroncito"
[16] Javbdiel López-Paz, a.k.a. "Dreki Malo"
[17] Luis Antonio Rosa-Hernández, a.k.a. "Menor de Fajardo"
[18] Luis Isander Medina-Vázquez, a.k.a. "Sugar/Flaco/Trenzas"
[19] Kevin M. Rijos-Sepúlveda, a.k.a. "Yeezy"
[20] Jorge S. Rodríguez-Rivera, a.k.a. "Gallero"
[21] John Michael Rentas-Rivera, a.k.a. "Dálmata"
[22] Gabrielle Eliud Delgado-Garay, a.k.a. "Kayak/KK"
[23] Pedro Antonio Barreto-Martínez, a.k.a. "Pedrito/Mago/Maguito"
[24] Pedro A. Polanco-Febus
[25] Yadiel Daniel Rosario-Castro, a.k.a. "Papote"
[26] Jeancarlos Reynoso-Peralta, a.k.a. "Domi/Greña"
[27] Jordanish Manuel Torres-Villegas, a.k.a. "Mutombo"
[28] John Huertas-Rodríguez, a.k.a. "Casque"
[29] Giann Luis Rijos-Sepúlveda, a.k.a. "Yeesy/Yisi/Yeezysito"
[30] Freddy Maldonado-Castillo, a.k.a. "Sonrisa/Sonri"
[31] Carlos Rosario-Reyes, a.k.a. "Carlos Papi"
[32] Yahir Armando Ayala-Rodríguez, a.k.a. "Duende"
[33] Yecdiel Daniel-Oliveras, a.k.a. "Chagui"
[34] Josten Anthony Ramos, a.k.a. "Justin Ramos/Prosper"
[35] Carlo André Díaz-Sepúlveda, a.k.a. "Chavito"
[36] Adrián Gabriel Ramos-López, a.k.a. "ADN"
[37] Javier Colón-Oppenheimer, a.k.a. "Javielito/Javi/TT de Trastalleres"
[38] Adam Yadiel Díaz-Santiago, a.k.a. "El Menor"
[39] Joshua Yadie De Jesús-De Jesús, a.k.a. "Tokio/Yadiel"
[40] Jonathan Ramón González-Pérez, a.k.a. "Tripi/Cripi"
[41] Fabián O. Martínez-Maldonado, a.k.a. "Dreki Bueno/Draky Bueno"
[42] Noriel Iván Alvarado
[43] Joseph Colón-Pagán, a.k.a. "Canito"
[44] Elliott Francis Correa-Martorell, a.k.a. "Ele"
[45] Adin Jafet Cruz-Sastre, a.k.a. "J"
[46] Pauliana Santiago-Vega
[47] Yatniel Iván Ramos-Borrero, a.k.a. "Chama"
[48] Miguel Sánchez-Reyes, a.k.a. "Cabe"
[49] Ronny Arias-Paulino, a.k.a. "Karate"
[50] Elvin Josué Jiménez-De la Rosa, a.k.a. "Bin"
[51] Jomar Rashid Torres-Torres, a.k.a. "Jomo/Yomo"
[52] Juan Gianny Rodríguez-Tosado, a.k.a. "Guasy"

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort, Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares, AUSA Joseph Russell, and AUSA María López-Aponte are in charge of the prosecution of the case.

If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison. If convicted of both the drug and firearms charges in Count Four, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison. The defendants charged with possession of machineguns in furtherance of drug trafficking in Count Five face a mandatory sentence of thirty years in prison to be served consecutively to any sentence imposed on the drug trafficking charges. All defendants are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $12,796,800.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard - Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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