Official: Puerto Rico drug ring halted after 97 indicted

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Federal authorities in Puerto Rico say a major heroin supplier has been put out of business after a grand jury indicted 97 people on drug trafficking charges.

U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez said Friday that the suspects ran an alleged $25 million trafficking ring that distributed heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills near a playground in San Juan.

She said the suspects began operating four years ago and ran their business as a type of drive-thru in which people would buy drugs without getting out of their cars.

Authorities have estimated that roughly 70 per cent of killings in Puerto Rico are tied to drugs. The U.S. territory of 3.3 million people has reported 316 killings this year, compared with 338 in the same period last year.