Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, the indictments of 81 alleged members of Los Baja Deo (LBD), a Puerto Rican-based drug trafficking organization active for years in the western part of Puerto Rico. The indictments charge the suspects with drug possession and distribution related to activities that prosecutors say began in 2021.

On Wednesday, the FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department arrested 70 alleged LBD members on numerous charges. According to Blanche, 21 of the defendants were also charged with illegal firearms possession. The group allegedly distributed large quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and marijuana, generating approximately $49 million in proceeds.

The takedown followed an investigation by the San Juan Homeland Security Task Force. Blanche described LBD as having "maintained a steady supply of highly addictive and potentially lethal substances that endangered the community, fueled addiction and exposed entire public housing projects in Mayagüez and nearby neighborhoods to violence and chaos."

In addition to the LBD arrests, there were 26 arrests related to the Los Lobos cartel, including four of its leaders. Notably, Eduardo Gomez, alias "Gordo Paul," a leader of Los Lobos, was arrested in Quito, Ecuador, earlier in May 2026.

Attorney General Blanche emphasized the ongoing nature of the investigation, stating, "If there's additional co-conspirators or members of this organization that have not been charged, I promise you that this investigation doesn't stop because an indictment is returned."

The operation is part of broader efforts aimed at combating violent crime and the illegal flow of narcotics in Puerto Rico and the United States.

Sources