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Date: June 24, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
San Juan, PR – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney, in conjunction with our partner agencies in the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) announce the following prosecutorial results for the week of June 15 through June 18, 2026. The HSTF is a permanent, interagency law enforcement task force created by executive order to combat transnational criminal organizations—including cartels, trafficking networks, and foreign terrorist organizations.
Convictions through guilty pleas
On June 16, 2026, Eli Couvertier Pollock pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun in Criminal Case 24-182. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ). Defendant was arrested on Dec. 11, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for Oct. 5, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Laura Díaz-González are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 18, 2026, Lino Calcaño-Rodríguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ). Defendant was arrested on Dec. 11, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for Sept. 23, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Laura Díaz-González are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 18, 2026, Jan C. Dalmau-Román pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ). Defendant was arrested on Dec. 11, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for Sept. 23, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Laura Díaz-González are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 18, 2026, Carlos Mercado-Molina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ). Defendant was arrested on Dec. 11, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for Sept. 23, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Laura Díaz-González are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 18, 2026, Rodney Alexis Maldonado-Marquez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in Criminal Case 25-365. Defendant was arrested on Sept. 11, 2025. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for Sept. 16, 2026. Special AUSA Javier Rivera and AUSA Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 18, 2026, Efraín Ramírez-Cortés pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in Criminal Case 25-365. Defendant was arrested on Sept. 11, 2025. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for Sept. 16, 2026. SAUSA Javier Rivera and AUSA Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
Sentencings
On June 15, 2026, Carlos Obed La Llave Otero was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colón to 60 months of imprisonment to be followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on April 9, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-184 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 15, 2026, Merchisede Rivera Rivera was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colón to 60 months of imprisonment to be followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on April 9, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-184 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 15, 2026, Isaías Molina Valle was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colón to 144 months of imprisonment to be followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activities. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on April 9, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-184 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on Feb. 24, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 15, 2026, Jomael Aponte Rivera was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colon to 144 months of imprisonment to be followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activities. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on April 9, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-184 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 15, 2026, Luis Joel Couret Clas was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colon to 12 months of imprisonment to be served consecutively to the sentence imposed in case number 24-059 (MAJ) to followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on April 9, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-184 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 15, 2026, Carlos Rodríguez Núñez was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colon to 27 months and fifteen days of imprisonment, to be served concurrently and consecutively to state court sentences, to be followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on April 9, 2025, in Criminal Case 25-184 (ADC) and pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
On June 16, 2026, Isaías Caleb De Jesús was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Maria Antongiorgi Jordan to 84 months of imprisonment to be followed by 8 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. According to court documents, defendant was indicted on Dec. 11, 2024, in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) and pleaded guilty on March 17, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz-González and Joseph Russell are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
These prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.