Eight inmates at correctional facilities in Bayamón were charged with 17 counts related to smuggling and controlled substances, the Bayamón Prosecutor’s Office announced. The charges resulted from investigations into incidents between March and September at Bayamón 501 and Bayamón 705. The inmates, including Wilfredo Berríos Rojas, Isaac Xavier Ayala Poten, and five others, face charges for possession and introduction of objects into a penal institution and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute.
Two judges, Rafael Pérez Quiñones and Marie Arnais Cintrón Alvarado, found probable cause for all the alleged crimes and set a global bond of $295,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 20. The operation involved personnel from the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, the Department of Justice, and the Puerto Rico Police.
The prosecutor emphasized that inmates have an obligation to respect the law and established norms.