info on central mountains

I don't know about the drug cartels taking over in the mountains.. It doesn't sound logical to me, though.

The main thing here seems to be to "import" drugs from South America, meant for transit to the mainland USA. Once the drugs made it on the island they're within the US and can be transported more easily (less controls since no borders are being crossed)

Then there are the junks and the dealers and most of them can be found in the cities. In the more rural areas they are less visible.

I don't think there's a lot of drug laboratories here, transit is the main thing and that "business" should be concentrated around the ports (San Juan mainly but also Ponce and Mayaguez)

I live in the mountains (east side of the island ) and as far as I'm concerned things are good and safe here. No junks, no shootings, not a lot of crime. I would think that the situation is similar in the mountains in central and western Puerto Rico.

Gary,

As usual thanks for your quick reply!  The main info I was given was from a friend who had visited Orocovis - he has family there - that they could not go out after dark unless they had a local family member with them.  He had said that the cartel was trying to get the subsistance farmers to begin growing pot and etc. to augment their incomes.

We were a bit interested in San Sebastian and San German which I guess would fall into the Central Mountain area.  WE would like to live in a "lower" mountain area - away from the beaches and etc. but not up in the high mountains.  Could you suggest places similar to the town you live in that would be in the northwest or west of the island. I trust your knowledge.

Thanks for the info!

I'd love to help you, Paet,  but I really don't have the inside info for the NW area. It's about two hours driving from here and I don't know anybody who lives out there.

About the cartel, honestly , I have never heard about what your friend told about Orocovis. There's nothing about that in the local news here. Mind you, I'm not saying it is not happening, I just never heard anything about it.

I still want to believe that living in the mountains elsewhere on the island is as good as it is in our neck of the woods.

Thanks Gary, I appreciate your knowledge and information.