The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico announced on July 22 a series of convictions and sentencings resulting from Homeland Security Task Force prosecutions during the week of July 13 through July 17, 2026.
According to the announcement, several individuals pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, drug trafficking, and firearm offenses. Melvis Marcano-González pleaded guilty on July 14 to conspiracy involving 225 kilograms of cocaine aboard a vessel under U.S. jurisdiction after being extradited from Colombia. Kenneth Córdova-Real, Jadriel Yandel Bruno-Rodríguez, and Kelvin Joel Rivas-Quiñonez each pleaded guilty on July 17 to drug and firearm charges related to a violent drug trafficking organization operating in Manatí, Puerto Rico. The court scheduled their sentencing dates for October.
Other defendants pleading guilty included Jeffrey Figueroa-Rosado and Luis Abdiel Reyes Nieves on July 15 and July 16, respectively, both charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. Ezequiel Olivo Bido, Moisés Serrano De Jesús, and Alexie Delgado Torres also entered guilty pleas in related cases.
Sentencings included Joseph Ríos-Vélez receiving a sentence of nine years’ imprisonment followed by six years’ supervised release for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearm possession. Jonathan Martínez-González was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment consecutive to an existing six-year sentence plus eight years’ supervised release for similar offenses. Yander Luis José-Peña was sentenced by Judge Silvia L. Carreño-Coll to time served after pleading guilty for improper entry by an alien.
These actions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159 as a whole-of-government effort targeting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, human smuggling rings, as well as crimes involving children or violent criminal aliens operating domestically or abroad.
The HSTF San Juan includes federal partners such as the FBI; Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Marshals Service; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Internal Revenue Service; Coast Guard agencies; Department of State; Secret Service; High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program representatives; Transportation Security Administration; Federal Aviation Administration; along with state agencies like the Puerto Rico Police Department—serving all municipalities—and municipal police departments across multiple cities, according to the official website.