CHRISTIAN ONEIL MELENDEZ-LOPEZ

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Controlled Substances; Possession with Intent to Distribute/Distribution of Heroin, Cocaine Base, Cocaine, Marijuana, and Fentanyl; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime Caution: Christian Oneil Melendez-Lopez is wanted for his alleged involvement in firearms and narcotics trafficking as part of "Los Baja Deo" (Thumbs Down), a violent transnational criminal organization operating throughout seven public housing projects and five surrounding communities in western Puerto Rico. The organization is allegedly responsible for large-scale narcotics trafficking throughout Puerto Rico, including the shipment of controlled substances to the continental United States through the United States Postal Service, generating millions of dollars in illicit proceeds annually.

The organization is also allegedly linked to approximately 20 homicides, numerous shootings, and other violent criminal activity that has significantly impacted public safety throughout the Mayagüez region. Additionally, the organization's primary source of narcotics is allegedly received from a Mexico-based supplier, and the organization has established links to other violent drug trafficking organizations operating throughout western Puerto Rico.

On August 19, 2026, a federal arrest warrant was issued by the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, after Melendez-Lopez was charged federally with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Controlled Substances; Possession with Intent to Distribute/Distribution of Heroin, Cocaine Base, Cocaine, Marijuana, and Fentanyl; and Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.