Police officer catches up with a dealer and is held to the ground while officers cuff him. Majority of the weapons used by the drug organisations are sent in from the United States. States like Florida have extremely lax gun laws in comparision to Puerto Rico so weapons are bought legally in the states, the serial number is worn off and sent in parts to the caribbean island.
As we navigated a maze of streets in the suburbs of San Juan, Agent Victor O. Acevedo pulled a firearm from his belt and placed it on his lap, scanning for any potential threats. Acevedo, an enthusiastic 8-year veteran of Puerto Rico’s Narcotics Department, had agreed to let me ride along one day to witness a raid in action. At 12:30 p.m., we were parked at a quiet roadside stop near Brisas de Bayamón, a fenced-off area of low-income housing, when a call came through the radio instructing the team to move in on a target. Twelve vehicles—ranging from SUVs and sedans to marked police cars and two cable repair trucks—were primed to storm the estate. These areas are so dangerous that repairmen can only work on telegraph lines under police protection, otherwise they risk being robbed or worse. “They fire at police cars when they try to enter the projects,” says Colonel Rafael Rosa, head of Puerto Rico’s Narcotics Department.
Upon arrival, we saw the suspect sprinting away from the convoy. Acevedo and I quickly exited the car and ran after the suspect—a boy in his late teens—followed by two other officers. He darted around a corner, tossing bags of marijuana over a nearby fence and a modified Taurus Millennium Glock into a dumpster. One agent grabbed him and pinned him to the ground while the others swiftly cuffed him. The search for the drugs and gun began immediately.
About 30 minutes later, a new call came in directing us toward the Falin Torrech housing project, about 15 minutes away. Acevedo and I began walking back to the car. The other officers had already departed.
“Walk faster,” Acevedo muttered, adjusting his pistol from the back of his belt to the front. Slightly puzzled by the shift in his tone, I turned to see 11 men and a few children glaring at us and heading in our direction. Acevedo kept his hand on his firearm and led me swiftly toward the car. The situation rattled us both, and without speaking, we both understood we had lingered too long.
Puerto Rico is currently in crisis. Governor Ricardo Rosselló resigned on July 24 after the island’s Center for Investigative Journalism published private messages between the governor and his inner circle that included homophobic, misogynistic language and jokes about Hurricane Maria victims. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest government corruption, and the political fallout is expected to continue for weeks or even months.
Given all this, it’s easy to overlook the ongoing gun violence in Puerto Rico—but that would be a mistake. Isla Verde, a popular tourist area in San Juan, recently saw a shootout between two rival drug organizations in broad daylight. On the eve of Three Kings’ Day this past January 6, 22 people were killed in violent incidents. Under Rosselló’s leadership, Colonel Rafael Rosa and the Narcotics Department have worked tirelessly to curb this violence.
Most illegal firearms come from the United States, where they are easier and cheaper to obtain legally. Thousands of weapons are disassembled and shipped to Puerto Rico via U.S. mail after having their serial numbers filed off.
Yet, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) takes no responsibility for the issue or any initiative to address it. In a statement, Jeffrey Quiñones, the agency’s public affairs officer, told New Times, “CBP does not have jurisdiction nor competency to inspect domestic mail entering Puerto Rico from the U.S. mainland. CBP only inspects international mail.”
This lack of action leaves Puerto Rico’s police force feeling helpless. Despite confiscating 2,086 illegal firearms in 2018, San Juan’s police struggle to keep up with the problem. Economic hardship on the island has led many officers to relocate to the U.S.—particularly to Florida, home to over 1 million Puerto Rican immigrants, the highest concentration in the nation. There, they find better pay and less dangerous working conditions, leaving behind a smaller and less experienced force to combat the illegal weapons trade at home.
The primary successes in combating this issue have come from Puerto Rico’s Drug Division, which frequently conducts raids on housing projects known for receiving illegal shipments. Officers say caution is critical when working in these areas. They deploy in large numbers to apprehend suspects quickly and safely, before they have a chance to react.
The situation is especially dire in the housing projects of Bayamón, the island’s second-largest city on the north coast. Areas such as Virgilio Dávila, Las Gardenias, Brisas de Bayamón, and Falin Torrech are particularly hazardous for officers. The area’s “Drugs Division,” which includes U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with local police, dog handlers, and even two cable repair vehicles, faces extreme risks when working in these areas. The threat of violence is so prevalent that repairmen can only fix phone lines with police protection to avoid being robbed or worse.
“They fire at police cars as they try to enter the projects,” says Rosa.
At 5:30 p.m. on the night of my ride-along, as the sky began to darken, the team pulled into a car lot near Plaza Las Americas, one of the Caribbean’s largest malls, to regroup and grab a meal. Over the next few hours, they would seize three modified 9mm pistols, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and bags of drugs, ranging from marijuana to cocaine.
The team had received intelligence that an individual was dealing drugs from his home and had a substantial amount of narcotics and weapons hidden inside. By 6 p.m., now dark, the team of around 30 officers descended on the estate and surrounded the ground-floor apartment of Miguel Angel Lopez Jr. After surrounding the building, a narcotics officer pounded on the door while shouting, “Policía, abrir!” After a brief pause, the door opened, and a stream of officers entered swiftly. Lopez looked shocked at their speed. Two large officers quickly seized him.
With Lopez standing over a table, hands cuffed and officers on either side, the team displayed the contraband they had seized. A small cache of weapons was discovered in the oven, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Lopez had evidently attempted to hide incriminating items, but his efforts were in vain. Cocaine, packaged in tubes and ready for distribution, was found during the search.
It wasn’t until we returned to the Bayamón police station at 1 a.m. that I realized the officers considered the raid relatively uneventful.
“This has been a quiet night for us,” one narcotics officer remarked casually.
The majority of violent crime in Puerto Rico is gang-related. With a murder rate four times that of mainland U.S., Puerto Rico’s violence is more comparable to that of Central America than the U.S. mainland, with two murders per every 10,000 people.
The political unrest that led to mass protests and the potential appointment of Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Justice, Wanda Vazquez, to replace Rosselló is likely to fuel more violence and chaos in the short term.
Rosa believes that the most effective way to address the violence on the island is to prevent the export of guns and drugs at their source—on the U.S. mainland.
“There’s nothing we can do to stop the weapons from coming in,” he says. “We need more personnel to halt the flow into the country… but we don’t have the resources.”
A dealer that ran from the officers, threw his stash over a fence during the persuit. Officers search for where it went while the residents start to come out of their apartments to see what is going on.
Officers search for drugs around an area that is infamous for drug dealing. Many of the officers are well armed for their own protection from "organisations" that don't want to give up their merchandise.
The police are well armed when entering projects in the capital of San Juan. These weapons are used for self-defense. Some of the "organisations" don't want to give up their merchandise without a fight.
A dealer is caught selling marijuana in one of the projects of San Juan, Puerto Rico. After a search and retreaval of the stash that the suspect threw into a field, he is cuffed then taken back to the station.
A dealer is caught selling marijuana in one of the projects of San Juan, Puerto Rico. After a search and retreaval of the stash that the suspect threw into a field, he is cuffed then taken back to the station.
Search dogs are deployed to quickly locate any drugs or weapons hidden nearby.
During a bust, officers come across a 9mm Glock with magazine that has been tampered with to make it fully automatic. An extreamly dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.
Police officer searches a dealer that ran from the officers and threw his stash over a fence during the persuit. Majority of the weapons used by the drug organisations are sent in from the United States. States like Florida have extremely lax gun laws in comparision to Puerto Rico so weapons are bought legally in the states, the serial number is worn off and sent in parts to the caribbean island.
Local police work with a variety of federal organisations. Majority of the weapons used by the drug organisations are sent in from the United States. States like Florida have extremely lax gun laws in comparision to Puerto Rico so weapons are bought legally in the states, the serial number is worn off and sent in parts to the caribbean island.
A dealer that ran from the officers, threw his stash over a fence during the persuit. Officers search for where it went.
A bag of narcotics are found near by where the dealer was arrested.
A dealer that ran from the officers, threw his stash over a fence during the persuit. Officers search for where it went while the residents start to come out of their apartments to see what is going on.
The police are well armed when entering projects in the capital of San Juan. These weapons are used for self-defense. Some of the "organisations" don't want to give up their merchandise without a fight.
During a bust, officers come across a 9mm Glock with magazine that has been tampered with to make it fully automatic. An extreamly dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.
A bust in one of the homes in Guaynabo, one of the districts of the capital, San Juan.
A large cache of weapons is found in the oven and draws around the house of one resident in Guaynabo, San Juan.
A large cache of weapons is found in the oven and draws around the house of one resident in Guaynabo, San Juan. The owner is arrested and taken back to the station.
Officer inspects a bag of cocaine that is ready to be sold. Narcotics and guns are on and the same in San Juan. To protect their merchandise from rival "organisations" the criminals arm themselves.
A large cache of weapons is found in the oven and draws around the house of one resident in Guaynabo, San Juan.
Police rush to a driver that is suspected of carrying drugs and guns. A search is conducted. The driver and passengers are later free to go after the police find nothing incriminating.
Police rush to a driver that is suspected of carrying drugs and guns. A search is conducted. The driver and passengers are taken to the station after having been found with narcotics.
Officers need to stay on their toes while aproaching suspects. In areas of San Juan anyone could have a weapon and chose to use it. Puerto Rico has much stricter gun laws than the US, but weapons are sent over in parts via post. "Almost impossible to curb the weapons coming in" one officer says.
Police rush to a driver that is suspected of carrying drugs and guns. Police shout orders to get on the ground. The driver and passenger are later let go. The only weapon in the vehicle was an airsoft AR-15 which isn't against the law in Puerto Rico.
Police rush to a driver that is suspected of carrying drugs and guns. Police shout orders to get on the ground. The driver and passenger are later let go. The only weapon in the vehicle was an airsoft AR-15 which isn't against the law in Puerto Rico.
Officers need to stay on their toes while aproaching suspects. In areas of San Juan anyone could have a weapon and chose to use it. Puerto Rico has much stricter gun laws than the US, but weapons are sent over in parts via post. "Almost impossible to curb the weapons coming in" one officer says.
Police rush to a driver that is suspected of carrying drugs and guns. A search is conducted. The driver and passengers are taken to the station after having been found with narcotics.
Glocks can be easily converted from semi to fully automatic. A serious danger to people on the streets and the officers that are trying to crack down on them.
Back at the station in Guaynabo, officers layout all the contraband found in one evening in a small suberb of San Juan. "This is a daily theme here in Puerto Rico" one officer tells me. According to the officers this is an average evening. Each item is recorded and put into evidence.
Firearms are bought legally in the United States are sent to Puerto Rico via US mail. With the serial number chiseled off it is almost impossible to find the sender.
Back at the station in Guaynabo, officers layout all the contraband found in one evening in a small suberb of San Juan. "This is a daily theme here in Puerto Rico" one officer tells me. According to the officers this is an average evening.
San Juans narcotics police bring in one of the offenders that had a stash of drugs and guns hidden on their property. Gun crime is a big problem in Puerto Rico with over 90% of all homicides caused by firearms.
San Juans narcotics police bring in one of the offenders that had a stash of drugs and guns hidden on their property. Gun crime is a big problem in Puerto Rico with over 90% of all homicides caused by firearms.
San Juans narcotics police bring in one of the offenders that had a stash of drugs and guns hidden on their property. Gun crime is a big problem in Puerto Rico with over 90% of all homicides caused by firearms.
Puerto Rican Governer Ricardo Rosselló visits the Bayamón police station to give a press conference on the success of the police department. Gun crime in Puerto Rico is accounting for over 90% of all homicide on the island.
Puerto Rican Governer Ricardo Rosselló visits the Bayamón police station to give a press conference on the success of the police department. Gun crime in Puerto Rico is accounting for over 90% of all homicide on the island.