FBI: Puerto Rico cops protected cocaine dealers


Privacy Policy: www.cnn.com (CNN) — In the biggest crackdown on police corruption in the FBI’s 102-year history, authorities charged a total of 133 individuals in Puerto Rico Wednesday as the result of a probe into whether police provided protection for drug dealers. All but four people, who were still being sought, were arrested Wednesday, authorities said. In all, 89 law enforcement officers and 44 other people were indicted as part of a two-year undercover investigation into 125 drug transactions. The scope of Operation Guard Shack was also described as unprecedented because 750 FBI personnel were flown to the island to carry out the raids and make arrests, Attorney General Eric Holder said. In total, he said, more than 1000 FBI personnel participated. The investigation began when an undercover FBI agent posed as a dealer selling multiple kilograms of cocaine and “put the word out that he needed security during drug deals,” the FBI said on its website. “Many of those who responded were cops. They actively took part in the transactions by carrying weapons and patting down the drug buyers — who were actually FBI informants.” The cops were paid between $500 and $4500 for their efforts, the FBI said. “In all, more than $500000 was paid in protection money.” Puerto Rico is a major shipping point for drugs between the East Coast and such South American countries as Colombia and Peru, said Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez, the US attorney for Puerto Rico. She described the