SAN JUAN – Federal authorities in Puerto Rico on Thursday carried out 43 arrest warrants in different parts of the island against alleged members of the criminal organization ‘Los Viraos’, linked to drug trafficking and murders.
Part of the operation was carried out in the public residential areas (popular neighborhoods) Luis Muñoz Morales and Jardines de Montellano, both in Cayey (center of the island).
Agents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) made the arrests. A dozen members of ‘Los Viraos’ are still at large.
According to a statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the drug trafficking organization distributed heroin, cocaine base (commonly known as ‘crack’), cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl, oxycodone (Percocet) and alprazolam (Xanax) since 2021.
He conducted his business in the aforementioned public housing projects -Luis Muñoz Morales and Jardines de Montellano-, as well as in the Polvorín neighborhood in Cayey and other areas of Puerto Rico.
What is the name of the organization?
The organization called itself ‘Los Viraos’ and used other insignia to identify its members such as jewelry, stickers or tattoos of the letters LFNM, which mean ‘The Family Never Dies’.
The group’s main leader, Efraín A. Planell-Pérez, although in prison, used contraband cell phones to communicate with gang members, as well as to make electronic transfers of funds and coordinate the gang’s activities.
In addition, Planell-Pérez bought drugs and weapons, gave orders on the operation of drug sales points, ordered murders, resolved disputes, and taught new members how to prepare drugs for sale, among other criminal actions.
According to court documents, members of ‘Los Viraos’ posted criminal activities on social media both to increase their prestige and to intimidate their rivals.
The defendants also created a record label to produce music with lyrics describing gang activities and actual criminal acts, as well as music videos showing firearms.
If convicted, they can be sentenced to a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, depending on the charges. All defendants face a charge of narcotics forfeiture of more than $9 million.
The Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that a group of the founding members of ‘Los Viraos’ previously belonged to another drug trafficking organization based in Caguas, with which they have maintained a turf war, which includes shootings and murders.
According to the Police, the organization from which they separated is the one led by Nelson Torres Delgado, known as ‘El Burro’, who was captured on October 17, 2024.
