Puerto Rico is "raining money and drugs"

(CBS News) 

Puerto Rico is on track to set a dubious crime record with at least 847 murders so far this year, or 140 more than this time last year. Officials say 75 percent of the murders are drug-related.

CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports that its Caribbean location and political status make the commonwealth an ideal route for cocaine traffickers

It's past midnight, and a team of Border Protection agents is flying over the busy waters between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, searching for smugglers. A boat, spotted by border protection, is racing toward Puerto Rico. On board is more than $1.4 million dollars in cocaine.

As Border Protection agents close in, the boat begins taking evasive maneuvers and dumping bales over the side.

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Chasing drug smugglers in the Caribbean

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Drug smuggling is as much a part of Puerto Rico as palm trees and sand - American sand. For drug traffickers that means once they get to Puerto Rico, no more customs checkpoints on the way to the mainland.

Read a complete report on the rise in drugs and weapons trafficking in Puerto Rico

"If there's a way, they'll exploit it," said Pedro Janer, assistant special agent in charge with the DEA.

Janer said South American drug traffickers are feeling the squeeze on the U.S.-Mexico border, so they're trying their luck in the Caribbean. In Puerto Rico, cocaine seizures are up 30 percent since 2009.

"You know, it's raining money and drugs here in Puerto Rico," Janer said.

It's also raining bullets. This year is on track to be Puerto Rico's deadliest as drug gangs fight for control, and their war is spreading to highways and shopping malls.

"There is no honor anymore amongst the traffickers. Nowadays, the standing orders are: Kill where you find the person, and if that means he's at the restaurant eating with his wife and kids, that's where the shooting is going to occur and whoever gets hurt gets hurt," Janer said.

More and more guns are reaching the island. Delany de Leon-Colon with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service says there are even more so called "cop-killer" guns which can penetrate body armor.

Weapons get hidden in packages mailed from the U.S, postmarked for Puerto Rico, and destined for drug traffickers. People who live here say things have taken a turn for the worse, and some hear gunshots every night.

"There's anxiety on the street. There's desperation," said resident Alana Feldman Soler.

For the most part, the island's five million annual tourists have been unscathed, but the war is raging nearby.

In June, DEA and police agents raided a slum in Old San Juan, arresting dozens on drug charges. In this DEA video of the raid, it is easy to see just offshore a cruise ship filled with tourists sailing into port. The slum was the heroin capital of Puerto Rico - just steps from El Morro, the island's most visited landmark.

Watch video of Border Protection agents as they track a suspected drug trafficker

In this video, Puerto Rico Police Superintendent Emilio Diaz-Colon tells Kelly Cobiella that San Juan is "as safe as any other large city in the mainland."

[guest173]

boats and planes can get past any border fences and I'm sure cartels have them both. America isn't going to fence all our coasts and beaches and anyway a plane can land anywhere. Education about the dangers of drugs is helpful but also it starts young, I think the teen drug dealers who are getting this stuff from uncles and grandmas (I've seen it in person!!!) need harsher penalties, pot is treated as a rite of american passage at sleepover parties in high school which is just part of the cartel's advertising covertly, it's all connected, but it just depends on parents and if they care or not.

[guest173]

and I've lived in Japan and Asian countries, the death penalty for drugs is a deterrent and working, many of those countries do not have big drug problems like America. Mexico should get the death penalty back, their lenient punishments aren't working and they should stop asking America for help until they are willing to use capital punishment again like America does when needed.

[verovitte]

Your report had lots of facts, but it failed to mentioned how many policemen, politicians, business people and very wealthy people embrace trafficking. You kept on mentioning the slums...hello no one there has the money to bring in 1.4 million dollars worth of drugs, they probably work for a very wealthy person. obviously, by the way people shown in your video are dressed I can tell they are still poor, but the people who actually benefit from this are richer and not in jail.

[ky7474]

A manifestation of an illegal, corrupt, prohibition. Wake up and stop funding organized crime. Many innocent people are dying and having their lives ruined over prohibition.

[countrysk8]

...
The other thing that is insane, is how the whole island is treated as one big city?! ***! the island is composed of over 75 municipalities, and here the report compares the crime rates to one single city? THAT IS WHY SAFETY IN THE ISLAND COMPARES TO ANY CITY IN THE MAINLAND... Id love to add up the crime rates for 78 municipalities in the Mainland... you will see we are all running the same crap game...i meen, Baltimore MA, with a population of 600,000 in 2007 had about 270 murders... Puerto Rico had close to 4,000,000 residents within 80 municipalites. and here you have the statistics of ONE city with less than 25% of the population of that ilsand,,, do the math... I am not saying it is peachy down there, but I can say that it is not as bad as you are making it out to be...And maybe you can see the angle of the guy being intervied where the interviewer compares his city (San Juan) that is just one of the 78 cities, as if he was the representative of the entire island... id like you to take 80 municipalites in the States and total the crime rate of all. You might be under in numbers a bit, but not by much. in fact it might just wake some pepole up, on how dangerous their region actually is.... What you are doing here is irresponsably blothching the island tourists industry. Shame on you!

[milesdorancbs]

countrysk8,
Thank you for your comment. According to statistics provided to us by the Puerto Rico Police Department last month for 13 of the island's most populated municipalities, most of them had more murders this year than the year before. Homicides in Caguas were up 90%. Homicides in Humacao were up 45%. Homicides in Mayaguez were up 36%. Homicides in Arecibo were up 30%.

We chose to focus on San Juan because it is the most populated, most visited, and most recognizable city. The island's new police superintendent told us "San Juan is as safe as any other large city in the mainland." So we decided to compare San Juan's homicide numbers with those of other, equally-sized cities in the United States. Baltimore has nearly twice the population as San Juan - so it would not be right to compare its data with San Juan's. Last year's tally of 201 murders in San Juan is above the homicide counts of other cities in the country with near-equal populations. Oakland, Calif. had 90 murders; Cleveland, Ohio had 81 murders; Miami had 68 murders; Tulsa, Okla. had 54 murders.

Last year, the island as a whole (population 4 million) had nearly twice as many murders as New York City (population 8 million).

We have a more in-depth story here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/25/eveningnews/main20111415.shtml

Thanks for reading,
Miles

[Teetoes1]

Miles, responding to your responce below, the rate you state for San Juan, is is just San Juan, or the enitire metropolitan area that composes of 4 municipalities?... cause san juan proper is tiny compared to the metro area. That whitch i suspect had 201 murders. please advise.

[gjtf45]

This is so embarrassing! I'm from Puerto Rico (The west coast) and Never in my 29 years of life did I think my island could become the mess it is today. What pisses me off is the Stupid racist people that paint ALL of us with the same brush. One Puerto rrican is a drug smuggler therefore all of us are!

[Goofer-Buddy]

Forget about the rich....Obama should tax the PR's.... They seem to have what it takes to fuel this country, money and drugs.

[Samlv]

Let's declare them a free country and save, what, a few billion a year we blow on the place.

[countrysk8]

Hey Mr Samlv, We fight under in the same army, Navy and Marine force. We pay pay taxes and use the dollar. We host your bases and we HELP keep your ass safe. As for that money you "blow" (approximatelye 6.8 billion) does not compare to the 88 billion GDP... and dont forget, we did not ASK to be part of this country, this country Obtained us with not democratic choice...***** ass gringo

[verovitte]

Maybe it is not wise for them to give us freedom, the usa does not do anything without reaping benefits, who knows who is really behind this drug trafficking!! I mean they can spot water in planets light years away and they cant stop this!!! Please, they are just endangering the lives soldiers and others who join the armed forces to fight for democracy and instead loose their lives defending "the owners of these drugs". what a shame!!