Reporting Highlights
Not a Typical Drug Scheme: Prosecutors in Puerto Rico found that a prison gang was giving inmates drugs in exchange for their votes for a gubernatorial candidate, Jenniffer González-Colón.
Gathering Evidence: Investigators said they had a case against inmates and prison staff, and were working to determine whether González-Colón or her campaign were involved.
A Stalled Investigation: In early 2025, the lead prosecutor was told not to look any further into the matter. “We’re frustrated, but there’s nothing we can do,” said one source.

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. Specifically, votes for now-Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, a longtime Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump, investigators found.
...
What at first seemed like a routine drug case had turned into something bigger. Puerto Rico, along with just a couple of U.S. states, allows inmates to vote. Puerto Ricans living in the territory can vote in all contests except federal general elections. It is a felony to willfully offer money or gifts in exchange for support at the polls. A conviction carries fines of as much as $250,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doj-puerto-rico-election-fraud-prison-drugs-votes