On September 22, 2025, a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico indicted 43 alleged members of the gang known as Los Vira’o on charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession and distribution of drugs, and firearms violations. The announcement was made by W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau Guayama Strike Force, with assistance from several federal and local law enforcement agencies. These included Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations and Air and Marine Operations, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as various municipal police departments.
“Thanks to the great investigative work of our law enforcement partners, the important leaders, enforcers and other members of the violent gang known as Los Vira’o are being taken off our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “These arrests reflect our steadfast determination to remove violent gangs from our communities.”
Rebecca González-Ramos, Special Agent in Charge at HSI San Juan (Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands), stated: “We will not tolerate criminal organizations that continue to threaten the safety and well-being of our communities while profiting from the distribution of deadly narcotics on our streets. These groups show nothing but disrespect for our neighborhoods, our children, and the elderly —taking lives at every turn. Let me be clear: the arrests do not end here. Our commitment and resources are fully dedicated to one mission—eliminating transnational criminal organizations. Not disrupting. Not dismantling. Eliminating.”
According to court documents, since 2021 Los Vira’o allegedly distributed heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl, Oxycodone (Percocet), and Alprazolam (Xanax) within 1,000 feet of public housing projects Luis Muñoz Morales and Jardines de Montellano (“Greyskull”), Polvorín Ward in Cayey, as well as other areas across Puerto Rico for financial gain.
The indictment claims that Los Vira’o operated drug points both locally in Cayey public housing projects and elsewhere in Puerto Rico and the continental United States. Members identified themselves using insignia such as jewelry or tattoos bearing “LFNM” (“La Familia Nunca Muere”). The group’s leader Efraín A. Planell-Pérez allegedly directed operations from prison using contraband cell phones for communication—including conference calls—and coordinated gang activities like drug purchases, fund transfers, ordering murders or resolving disputes.
Investigators say some members posted criminal acts on social media to boost status or intimidate rivals; others installed security cameras at drug points for surveillance against police or rival gangs.
A number of founding members were previously part of another Caguas-based drug trafficking group before breaking away in 2021; this led to a turf war involving shootings with automatic weapons that resulted in deaths among both intended targets and bystanders.
The indictment also alleges carjackings were used to acquire vehicles for further crimes; stolen cars were later destroyed or sold after use.
During the conspiracy period described by authorities, defendants reportedly established a music label producing songs describing real gang events; music videos showed actual firearms.
Defendants held roles ranging from leadership to lookout positions within the organization. Twenty-seven face charges related to possession of firearms during drug trafficking crimes; fifteen face additional counts involving machineguns.
If convicted on drug charges alone defendants could receive between ten years and life imprisonment; convictions on both drug- and firearm-related counts carry minimum sentences starting at fifteen years up to life; those charged with possessing machineguns face mandatory thirty-year consecutive sentences.
Prosecutors leading this case include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alberto López-Rocafort (Chief of Gang Section), Teresa Zapata-Valladares (Deputy Chief), R. Vance Eaton, and Andrés Orr.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration-related crime and eliminating transnational criminal organizations through coordination among multiple agencies under programs like OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
