If gossiping was a D.Fing offence how many in your congro would be D.Fed?
hard to answer this questions for any Puerto Rican. Gossip (bochinche) is the number one activity in my culture. I guess that being an island there's nowhere else to go so people turn to each other.
That aside, I think gossip is the real way congregations are run. A lot of people are in denial about how effective a gossip related system helps maintaining control of the people in it. It's the perfect manipulation from the WT since they keep their people at bay by letting it happen and their hands are clean.
Do you notice how they have so strong hold of every single other aspect of people's behavior, education, life decisions, etc, but when it comes to gossip they address it only when it doesn't lead the way they want it to go? They do not attack gossiping in congregations as strongly as any other behavior, and that's because there's something valuable in it for their interest.
So to answer the question, gossip, especially the malicious, slanderous type is very common in every congregation, as it is part of the JW culture.