In Puerto Rico, three defendants in the federal "La Alianza" case, a narcotics trafficking network linked to the 2024 murder of police officer Eliezer Ramos Vélez, have been sentenced. Eli Y. Couvertier Pollock, also known as "Tata", was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Joshua E. Bula Cartagena, also known as "Inquilino", received a 10-year prison sentence and eight years of probation.
Ángel M. Franqui González, known as "Blanquito", was sentenced to six years in prison and six years of supervised release, according to Héctor Ramírez Carbó, interim chief of the US Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico. The three individuals pleaded guilty this year to participating in a conspiracy that operated in several public housing projects in Carolina and San Juan.
The case dates back to December 2024, when a grand jury indicted 56 people for narcotics trafficking, firearms, and murder. The US Attorney’s Office alleged that the organization distributed large quantities of drugs and that various organizations formed an alliance to collaborate and offer protection, drugs, and firearms to avoid confrontations. The sentences are part of the National Security Task Force’s initiative to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations, cartels, and human trafficking networks.
Other convictions were also announced, including those of Alejandro Veliz, Melvis Marcano González, Gregory Vega De Jesús, Roberto Crispín Padilla, and Ángel Luis Álvarez Torres, who pleaded guilty to various charges related to narcotics trafficking and human smuggling.