Reggaeton artist Drizmali arrested for drug trafficking

• Reggaeton artist Drizmali was arrested for drug trafficking.
• He could spend a long time in jail.
• How did authorities catch the gang leader?

On Saturday, federal authorities arrested Drizmali. Reggaeton singer Arthur William Rodríguez, also known as Drizmali, was on the run after being indicted for importing cocaine from Colombia, Venezuela and the British and US Virgin Islands since 2017.

Authorities had been looking for Drizmali since February 21 when an indictment was issued against him and 23 other individuals, including a police officer. There was a federal arrest warrant for conspiracy to possess cocaine, with the intention to import and distribute.

Drizmali arrested for drug trafficking

Drizmali is known for appearing in the movie Fast Five and has released some well-known tracks like Takita. In addition to seven counts of drug trafficking, four of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to launder money.

The defendants, 20 men and four women, made multiple trips between Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands to transport narcotics. They used two or three boats to distract law enforcement officers and they distributed the drugs through the US Postal Service.

Drizmali will spend a long time in jail

According to EFE, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Office of Homeland Security Investigations of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE-HSI) in Puerto Rico were in charge of the arrests, together with the local Police.

According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. Drug seizures are frequent on the coasts of Puerto Rico, whose governor, Pedro Pierluisi, last November asked the US government for more help to combat drug trafficking.

Did he turn himself in?

Arthur Rodríguez Sánchez, better known in the urban scene as Drizmali, turned himself in this Saturday to federal bailiffs in the municipality of Trujillo Alto, confirmed the spokesman for the federal Anti-Drug Agency (DEA), Tony Velásquez.

The official explained that the surrender was coordinated by his legal representation, whose name was not immediately provided. Velásquez pointed out that the surrender of Rodríguez Sánchez had been rumored since last Wednesday. It wasn’t until this Saturday that it happened.

Drizmali was a gang leader

After his arrest, he said that the reggaeton player was taken to the federal prison in Guaynabo, where the legal process will play out. Drizmali has been sought by federal authorities since February 21, after a grand jury of the Federal Court of Puerto Rico indicted 20 men and four women on February 16 on seven criminal charges.

The artist, presumably, was the leader who recruited a police officer, identified as José Aquino Perales, who was attached to the Maritime Surveillance Division of the United Rapid Action Forces Bureau.