Washington Post
August 15, 2001
30 Police Charged in Puerto Rico Drug Probe
By Dan Eggan
Thirty current and former police officers were arrested yesterday in Puerto Rico on charges of protecting cocaine dealers, the largest police corruption case ever brought by the FBI, the Justice Department said.
Prosecutors allege that the officers from the Police of Puerto Rico, the equivalent of a state police force, warned drug traffickers of police raids, prevented searches by other officers and assisted in the transportation of drugs. The officers also allegedly gave advice on "how to avoid the tracing of fingerprints at a crime scene," the Justice Department said.
In exchange, the officers allegedly received cash payments of $3,000 to $28,000 each.
The 29 current officers, who range in age from 21 to 43, are each charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and carrying firearms while committing a drug offense. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and potential fines of up to $4 million, officials said.
One former officer and two civilians -- a jail guard and an employee at police headquarters -- also face drug conspiracy charges.
Puerto Rico is a major crossroads for cocaine originating in Colombia. After the investigation began in June 2000, FBI agents were stunned by the breadth of police corruption, officials said.
"We started out relatively small, and it just kept building," said Marlene M. Hunter, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Juan office. "It's safe to say we were rather surprised by the extent of the problem."
FBI officials described the undercover investigation as the largest police corruption case in the bureau's history. In Cleveland in 1998, more than 50 people working in police and corrections departments were convicted of taking payoffs from drug dealers. But only 18 of those defendants were police officers, the FBI said.
Copyright © 2001, Washington Post Company. All rights reserved.
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