Two municipal police officers from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to drug trafficking. The indictment was announced following an investigation led by the FBI.
Court documents state that Xavier Oropeza-Rosado, 42, and Julio Ángel Berdecía-Rodríguez, 46, allegedly attempted to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it on multiple occasions since April 2023. Oropeza-Rosado faces two counts of drug trafficking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Berdecía-Rodríguez is charged with three counts of drug trafficking and three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“The vast majority of police officers bravely serve and protect our communities with honor. When law enforcement officers break that trust, it is our responsibility to bring them to justice,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Claudia Dubravetz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office, stated: “Public trust is the foundation of every badge in this country. When those sworn to protect their communities choose instead to betray that oath, they undermine the integrity of the entire justice system. Today’s arrests make one thing clear: no position, no uniform, and no authority exempts anyone from accountability. The FBI will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to confront corruption wherever it surfaces and ensure the people of Puerto Rico are served with honesty, fairness, and the rule of law.”
Both defendants appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos E. López on November 20, 2025. If convicted on all charges, they face mandatory minimum sentences totaling at least 10 years for drug offenses and additional consecutive minimums of five years per firearm charge; sentencing will be determined by a federal judge according to established guidelines.
The case remains under investigation by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney César E. Rivera Díaz.
Authorities remind that an indictment is an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
