By EFE
06 Oct 2023, 11:34 AM EDT
SAN JUAN – The United States Marshals Service has arrested in Florida one of the 10 most wanted criminals in Puerto Rico, Teddy León Ayala, who led a criminal gang and is linked to numerous murders, including that of a police officer.
A fugitive since 2012, León Ayala was defined as “a danger to society,” not only for being involved in murders but for “his level of violence to maintain control of drug distribution in Puerto Rico,” according to the Service’s statement. from Aguaciles published in the last few hours.
The detainee was the leader of the so-called Ganga Los Extranjeros, which was part of the defunct United Traffickers Organization (The UN), which operated in Puerto Rico.
The arrest of León Ayala, whose whereabouts several specialized police groups had been investigating for years, took place yesterday in Coral Springs, Florida.
“He was placed under arrest without offering resistance, without any incident to regret,” said Wilmer Ocasio Ibarra, US Marshal of the District of Puerto Rico, who indicated that the detainee will begin to face the corresponding judicial processes.
Among the murders in which he has been involved is that of Puerto Rico Police agent Blanca de los Santos Barbosa, which occurred on July 7, 2010.
The Police, who were returning home after completing their work shift, were caught in the middle of a shooting confrontation between the gangs La ONU and La Rompe ONU.
In this same incident, which occurred on the Trujillo Express, another innocent victim also died, the librarian Manuel Medina, 32 years old.
As a member of several criminal gangs, León Ayala is identified as part of the group Los Rompecaras, which took its name from the practice of murdering rival criminals, leaving their faces disfigured.