US authorities said today they have arrested some 320 people in Puerto Rico, seizing more than 170 firearms and some 8,000 rounds of ammunition as they cracked down on a surge in crime.
US and local officials more than a year ago launched Operation Caribbean Resilience, a massive crackdown on violent crime, including homicides, that have rocked the US territory.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that in addition to the arrests and the seizure of weapons, the operation has resulted in the confiscation of a range of illegal narcotics including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, ecstasy, Percocet and Oxycodone.
The effort has focused largely on disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations, said John Sandweg, acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), which carried out the operation with help from other federal agencies.
"No one entity can tackle transnational criminal enterprises alone - it requires a layered, multi-agency approach," Sandweg said in a statement.
"Through our joint efforts, under Operation Caribbean Resilience, we have not only made the streets of Puerto Rico much safer, but also improved security in the mainland United States," said Sandweg.
He said DHS agents worked alongside personnel from Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration and the US Coast Guard, as well as local law enforcement officials in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico in recent years has seen a sharp surge in street crime, which authorities believe is tried to turf battles between drug trafficking gangs.
The island is a key transit point for drug traffickers seeking to ship contraband to the US mainland.
