SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, in collaboration with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), announced a series of indictments, guilty pleas, and sentencings for various federal offenses during the week of May 4-10, 2026. These actions target transnational criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, illegal re-entry, and firearms offenses across the region.
Among the significant indictments, a federal grand jury on May 6 charged three Venezuelan nationals—Charlie G. Marval-Henríquez, Jhoan Alexander Rodríguez-Núñez, and José Abraham Rodríguez-Núñez—with conspiracy and attempt to import over 643 kilograms of cocaine seized on April 29. The following day, nine individuals, including Venezuelan and Dominican nationals, faced a superseding indictment for conspiracy and importation of over 709 kilograms of cocaine, which was seized after a vessel crashed on Vieques shores on March 11. Several defendants in both cases also face charges related to illegal entry.
The week also saw numerous individuals plead guilty to serious charges. Frank Quiñones-Boria and Raul Quiñones-Boria admitted to drug trafficking in Fajardo, involving heroin, crack, cocaine, and marijuana. Calin Hernández-Valdez and Usbardo Trinidad-Hungría pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry offenses. Additionally, Julio Torres-Roche, Zael Lao-Ortiz, and Jonathan Ortiz-Martínez pleaded guilty to cocaine distribution conspiracies in Cayey, with Torres-Roche and Lao-Ortiz also admitting to firearms possession in furtherance of drug trafficking. Other guilty pleas included Michael Jovan Rodríguez-Cruz and Maycol A. Franco for drug and firearms conspiracies in San Juan public housing projects, and Jorge L. Carmona Gil for a multi-kilogram cocaine trafficking conspiracy aboard a vessel.
Sentencings handed down during the week included Rodolfo Brunet-González receiving probation for firearm transport. Sem Monge-Parrilla, Ernesto Caraballo, and Eduardo Berríos-Sepúlveda were sentenced to significant prison terms for drug trafficking, with Caraballo and Berríos-Sepúlveda also involving firearms, in the Jardines de Sellés Public Housing Project. Marcos Antonio Ventura-Martínez and Jonathan Ramaza Sanabria received 30 and 120 months imprisonment, respectively, for large-scale cocaine importation and possession. Omar Antonio Contreras-Mendoza was sentenced to 70 months for conspiring to distribute 339 kilograms of cocaine. Fedor Vovk and Aleksei Kondratev received time served for conspiracy to bring in illegal aliens.
These prosecutions underscore the ongoing efforts of the HSTF, an interagency task force established by Executive Order 14159, "Protecting the American People Against Invasion." The HSTF is dedicated to dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations, focusing on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting crimes that fuel violence and instability, including child trafficking and the removal of violent criminal aliens.