US indicts 50 members of prison-based gang in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal indictment unsealed in Puerto Rico charges 50 members of a prison-based organization with running a violent gang that controlled the drug trade within the island’s prison system.
Authorities say the organization known in Spanish as La Asociacion Neta originally formed to advocate for the rights of inmates. But they say it evolved over the years into a criminal organization that engages in drug trafficking and murder in Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.
The indictment announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez follows an FBI investigation. The indictment alleges that the Netas used corrupt staff to smuggle heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other contraband into the prison for distribution to inmates. Gang members allegedly were hired by people outside to kill other inmates.
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