Crime in Puerto Rico: Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, and the Poor

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Abstract
Echoing the federal “war on drugs,” the government of Puerto Rico has implemented a series of aggressive law enforcement policies aimed at dismantling the underground drug economy of the island. This article examines three main Puerto Rican law enforcement operations: “Greenback” (in 1985), “Lucky Strike” (in 1990), and the military invasion of public housings (in 1993). The data suggest that governmental attempts at disrupting the drug-based underground economy in Puerto Rico may have been responsible for the increase in violent crimes on the island during the past two decades. Policy implications of the anticrime operations also are discussed.