NCJ Number
168465
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 43 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 533-547
Date Published
1997
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article examines three main Puerto Rican law enforcement operations: "Greenback" in 1985, "Lucky Strike" in 1990, and the military invasion of public housing sites in 1993.
Abstract
"Operation Greenback" was a Federal investigation that uncovered a money laundering scheme controlled by local financial institutions and illegal lottery ticket leaders. This disruption of the Puerto Rican money laundering operation apparently forced those in possession of illegal money to find ways in which to keep their cash invisible and safe until they could find or develop new sources to launder it. In 1990 Federal law enforcement agents were deployed to determine the origin of millions of dollars discovered by local residents buried on a private farm in the town of Vega Baja. In the summer of 1993, the Puerto Rican government, alarmed about the record-breaking murder rate on the island, launched a massive military occupation of public housing projects. The invasion was aimed at eliminating the main drug distribution spots. This study questions the effectiveness of these approaches to reduce street crime. The data suggest the possibility that the disruption of the drug- based underground economy in Puerto Rico may have contributed to an increase in violent crimes on the island. Consistent with the research literature, it can be argued that a radical disruption of the illegal drug economy may have had the unintended effect of increasing drug-related crimes, particularly among and between those who control or depend on the street drug market for survival, both as sellers and as buyers. Also, the aggressive effort to counter drug trafficking in public housing created a mistrust of the police among members of the Puerto Rican underclass. Aggressive drug law enforcement must be re-evaluated, given the potential unintended negative consequences. 2 tables, 2 figures, and 51 references