The FBI’s San Juan office reported Thursday, November 5, 2026, that Julio Ángel Berdecía Rodríguez, a former officer of the Toa Alta Municipal Police in Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty on October 27, 2026 to criminal activities related to drug trafficking and was sentenced to 101 months in prison. Berdecía Rodríguez was charged with attempting to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute and with possessing a firearm.
In November 2025, the FBI had announced the formal indictment against Berdecía Rodríguez and another former officer, Xavier Oropeza-Rosado, 42, who according to authorities 'knowingly and intentionally' attempted on several occasions to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it, starting in April 2023. At that time, W. Stephen Muldrow, then federal prosecutor for the District of Puerto Rico, said most law enforcement officers serve honorably and that those who betray the public’s trust must be brought to justice.
The FBI said in written statements that anyone who participates in criminal activities and endangers communities will face justice, and that officials entrusted with protecting the public who betray that trust will be investigated and prosecuted with the same determination.