A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a 14-count superseding indictment charging three men and two women with trafficking cocaine in the District of Puerto Rico beginning in 2021. Two of the five defendants, Osvaldo Hernández-Camacho and Edgardo Luis Matos-Santos, aided and abetted with Joseamid Vázquez-Torres a.k.a. “El Pana/El Capi/Jose, deceased, who did knowingly and intentionally kill, and counsel, command, induce and cause the intentional killing of Michel Maceda, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Marine Interdiction Agent engaged in the performance of his official duties.
This is a joint investigation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with collaboration from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB).
“I am proud of the work of CBP Air and Marine Operations Agents, along with our federal partners, for their relentless work to bring these defendants to justice,” stated Troy Miller, Acting Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “Marine Interdiction Agent Maceda’s sacrifice is a testament to CBP’s unwavering commitment to protecting our nation.”
On Nov. 21, 2022, CBP released a statement regarding the incident in which Agent Maceda lost his life.
If convicted, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section Max J. Pérez-Bouret; Deputy Chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Section, AUSA María L. Montañez-Concepción; and AUSA Ryan R. McCabe are in charge of the prosecution of the case.
