A Puerto Rican police officer discovered himself entangled in a drug smuggling operation aimed toward transporting cocaine into Florida.
The revelation got here as Stephen Muldrow, the USA Legal professional for the District of Puerto Rico, alongside Joseph González, Particular Agent in Cost of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), disclosed prices in opposition to Zachary Quiñones-Bon, Jouseph Quiñones-Andino, and Alexander Martínez-Andino.
The allegations
The trio stands accused of conspiracy to own with the intent to distribute roughly 67 kilograms of cocaine.
Notably, Quiñones-Bon faces a further cost of possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Part 924(c).
Court docket paperwork unveiled
In line with courtroom paperwork unveiled by US prosecutors, on March 17, 2024, Quiñones-Bon, serving as a police officer stationed on the Luis Muñoz Marín Worldwide Airport, allegedly leveraged his credentials and uniform to realize entry to one of many airport terminals.
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Armed together with his police-issued firearm, Quiñones-Bon purportedly handed baggage full of cocaine to Quiñones-Andino and Martínez-Andino inside the terminal premises.
Operation particulars
As soon as in possession of the contraband, Quiñones-Andino and Martínez-Andino reportedly proceeded to a toilet, the place they unloaded the cocaine into completely different luggage, as per the prosecution’s claims.
Authorized ramifications
Ought to the defendants be discovered responsible of the drug trafficking conspiracy, they may face a most sentence of life imprisonment.
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Moreover, Quiñones-Bon faces a further obligatory consecutive sentence of 5 years to life imprisonment for the firearms cost.