A small island with a population of four million, Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory where Spanish is the main language. Strategically located between South and North America, it has become the main gateway for cocaine into the U.S. east coast. “Ladrones y Mentirosos” follows the lives of three Puerto Rican families, each affected by this wave of corruption and crime, as the older generations helplessly watch the deterioration of truth and justice in their society’s youth.

Cheo and Miguel are two brothers who support their disapproving grandmother with money they earn from shady drug smugglers.

A single mother struggling to take care of her teenage daughter, Wanda Vélez tries to find justice in the Puerto Rican legal system as she fights the fraudulent company that cost Wanda her job.

Rebellious teenager Luisito experiments with illegal drugs despite the warnings of his concerned mother Isabel, who finds herself forced to seek the help of her irresponsible ex-husband in dealing with the boy.

Through these compelling parallel stories, the film calls attention to the truly inescapable corruption in Puerto Rico, which is very much a product of American influence.