Not Your Average Drug Operation: Prosecutors in Puerto Rico discovered a prison gang distributing drugs to inmates in return for their votes for gubernatorial candidate Jenniffer González-Colón.
Building the Case: Investigators indicated they had evidence against inmates and prison employees, and were probing potential involvement by González-Colón or her campaign.
Halted Probe: In early 2025, the lead prosecutor was instructed to cease further investigation. “We’re frustrated, but there’s nothing we can do,” one source said. These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story. To the narcotics agents investigating drug smuggling in Puerto Rico prisons, it seemed at first like a typical scheme: associates of an inmate gang sneaking drugs into the prison, gang members distributing them inside, and bank records showing the money flowing. Then the agents discovered something unusual. Leaders of the prison gang known as Los Tiburones, or the Sharks, were selling drugs to inmates not only for money, but for their votes. In particular, votes for the current Gov. Investigators discovered that Jenniffer González-Colón, a longtime Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump… To ensure compliance from the inmates—many of whom were addicted—the gang’s leaders threatened violence and withheld drugs, according to the investigators. Corrections staff involved in the scheme turned a blind eye while the gang, officially called Group 31, operated the enterprise. What initially appeared to be a standard drug case had evolved into something far larger. Puerto Rico, like only a few U.S. states, permits inmates to vote. Residents of Puerto Rico who live in the territory are allowed to vote in all elections except federal general ones. It is a felony to intentionally offer money or gifts in exchange for votes at the polls.
