Just over 49 percent of the murders committed so far this year in Puerto Rico were drug-related, according to police statistics released on Thursday.

That figure represents 490 people who were murdered for reasons linked to the drug trade, which uses the Caribbean island as a “bridge” to smuggle drugs to the U.S. mainland.

Part of those illegal drugs coming from South America remains in Puerto Rico for local consumption and becomes a lucrative business for rival gangs.