San Juan, Apr 5 (EFE).- The Puerto Rico Police arrested five suspected gunmen on Wednesday, including professional baseball player Lucas Torres Vázquez, alias El Pelotero, who were part of a criminal gang linked to various murders.
The detainees, whose organization operated in the Montellano public housing development in Cayey (downtown), were charged with 27 charges of first-degree murder, destruction of evidence, and violations of the Weapons Law and the Controlled Substances Law.
Judge Yarissa Santiago, of the Court of First Instance of Caguas, determined cause for arrest against the defendants and set them a global bail of 2.7 million dollars, according to the Police statement.
Torres Vázquez, 19, played for Toritos de Cayey, in the Double A Superior Baseball League, and was suspended after his arrest by the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation (FBPR).
In addition to El Pelotero, the defendants are Carlos Alexis Arroyo Santel, alias Rata, 23 years old; Luis Yadiel León Rodríguez, aka Ika, 20; Joseph Vicente Vázquez, aka Joe Cantera, 26; and John R. Mendez Torres, aka John, 28.
All of them are linked to the shooting murders of Pedro Gabriel Rosa Castro, alias El Piloto, perpetrated in August 2022, and Benjamín Hernández Pereira, alias Choki, in October of the same year. The deaths were executed in exchange for trace amounts of marijuana and cocaine.
“These subjects are linked to the recent shootings reported in the towns of Cidra and Cayey and multiple murders that occurred in the Caguas area and surroundings,” said Police Commissioner Antonio López Figueroa.
A contingent made up of a hundred agents from the Police Special Operations Superintendency was in charge of the arrests of these individuals, considered “extremely dangerous.”
The interventions took place at dawn today in the aforementioned Jardines de Montellano residential area, in Cayey, the detainees’ place of residence and base of operations.
The housing complex is known in the underworld as “Grayskull,” a fictional fortress that is part of a cartoon series called “He-Man,” according to police.
“Today we have five fewer gunmen on the streets of the Caguas and Cayey area. These guys will no longer be able to go out for the kill. We are going to continue working to gather compelling evidence that results in accusations before the courts,” said Colonel Roberto Rivera, head of the Assistant Superintendency in Criminal Investigations.
The intelligence and arrest divisions, SWAT, the Air Unit, the Canine Unit and the Motorized Unit of the Caguas area participated in the operation.
