Juan José de la Cruz-Morales, of the Miches area in the east, accused in the drug trafficking and money laundering case Operation Falcón, is the first to be extradited to Puerto Rico to face criminal charges in the US justice. He was known as the “Cacique del Este”. A special airplane landed at San Isidro Air Base to transport the accused.
Juan José de la Cruz Morales alias Wandy is said to be a lieutenant of the drug trafficking network led by Erick Randhiel Mosquea Polanco. Mosquea Polanco is at large.
“This successful extradition of De La Cruz Morales is a reflection of years of collaboration and cooperation by the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners who are committed to fighting transnational criminal organizations,” said United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow. Puerto Rico-based prosecutors had been on the trail of De la Cruz Morales since 2017.
De La Cruz Morales was arrested during Operation Falcon, led by the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) and the Dominican Republic Attorney General’s Office (PGR) with the support of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He requested voluntary deportation to Puerto Rico to stand charges there.
The defendant faces a possible sentence of 10 years to life in prison in the United States. Nevertheless, the past experience with the deportation of drug traffickers is that they reach deals with the US justice authorities for relatively short sentences and then return to the Dominican Republic to continue to enjoy their large fortunes. To avert this reality, a assets forfeiture bill (Extinction of Domain) was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies but has languished for years in Congress.
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Diario Libre
21 September 2021