Operation Lost Honor

Operation Lost Honor was the English translated name of a prominent investigation called "Honor Perdido."[1] The investigation targeted police corruption on Puerto Rican soil that took place in August 2001. Organized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and led by Special Agent Jeffrey Pelaez and Puerto Rico Police Officer Elvin Quinones, and undercover agent Arturo Ortiz (EXPO), the investigation was initiated subsequent to multiple reports about illegal activity within the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD). [2] The twelve month long undercover operation targeted law enforcement officials suspected of involvement with the drug trade on the island. At the time, it was the biggest case of officer corruption that the FBI had dealt with in the organization's entire history. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Chain of events

Thirty-two police officers were caught on videotape drug trafficking, thanks to the FBI-initiated undercover operation and the elite FBI Special Operations Group (SOG). Initiated after receiving multiple reports of police officers involved directly in drug trafficking, police officers were videotaped off-loading boats filled with cocaine, transporting cocaine in their squad cars, providing advice on the best way to dispose of homicide victims and offering to commit murder. [7] The operation additionally aimed to stop the illicit protection provided to certain cocaine dealers who shipped their contraband throughout the island. A total of thirty-four individuals were arrested in the case.[3][8]

Criminal activities offered by the targeted officers include one individual's agreement to kill a drug dealer for $20,000 in cash. An evidence technician provided help on how to dispose of a homicide victim as well. Rogelio Guevara, special agent in charge of the DEA's Caribbean Field Division, commented that those arrested "don't deserve the honor of being called police officers".[3]

Aftermath

At the time, Operation Lost Honor was the biggest case of officer corruption that the FBI had dealt with in the organization's entire history.[3]

Orlando Sentinel journalist Ivan Roman stated that the bust "stunned a department already reeling from a series of" previous scandals.[3]

Continuing issues regarding police misconduct and other problems dogged the PRPD years after Operation Lost Honor.[8]

See also

References
  1. Albertelli, Laura (August 30, 2001). "6 cops arrested on trafficking charges". The San Juan Star.
  2. Martinez, Andrea (March 22, 2001). "Sin fianza el ex escolta Zoe". El Nuevo Dia.
  3. Roman, Ivan (August 30, 2001). "Cops Sold Heroin From Squad Cars, Agents Say". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  4. Eggen, Dan (August 15, 2001). "30 Police Charged in Puerto Rico Drug Probe". The Washington Post.
  5. Martinez, Andrea (August 15, 2001). "Al servicio de la droga". El Nuevo Dia.
  6. IvM-an RomM-an San Juan Bureau (26 August 2001). "POLICE SCANDAL BIGGEST IN HISTORY". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021.
  7. Roman, Ivan (August 30, 2001). "COPS SOLD HEROIN FROM SQUAD CARS, AGENTS SAY". Archived from the original on November 21, 2021.
  8. Robles, Frances (July 18, 2007). "Police corruption undermines Puerto Rican drug war". McClatchyDC. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
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