The government filed a motion late last week to have Stephen Torres – one of the co-conspirators in the case against former Planning and Natural Resource Enforcement Director Roberto Tapia – detained for violating his bail conditions and on Wednesday, the motion was granted by V.I. District Court Judge Ruth Miller.
"The government was informed on Aug. 8, 2013, that the United States Probation Office in Puerto Rico reported that the defendant (Torres) violated the conditions of his release in multiple ways and under egregious circumstances," according to the motion.
Torres was initially arrested in May alongside codefendant Eddie Lopez-Lopez, after the government alleged that the two men were part of a drug trafficking ring involving Tapia and other individuals. Specifically federal agents testifying during Torres’ detention hearing in May spoke about receiving information that Tapia would be meeting Torres and Lopez-Lopez at a rendezvous point off the coast of St. Thomas to conclude a drug deal involving 7.72 kilograms of cocaine.
At the detention hearing, prosecutors recommended that both Torres and Lopez-Lopez be remanded pending trial because, among other things, they were both from Puerto Rico and could constitute a flight risk because they have no identifiable ties to the local community.
Miller denied the government’s request and set bail for Torres at $50,000, on the condition that he be released into the care of a third-party custodian and be under home confinement in his native Puerto Rico.
"The defendant (Torres) is charged with coming from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands to commit a drug trafficking crime," the motion filed this month by the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. "He was arrested in the Virgin Islands before he could return to Puerto Rico. Nonetheless, over the government’s objection … the defendant was allowed to return to his distant home element of Puerto Rico, where the chances of his ignoring the court’s restrictions would be greatly increased, if not likely, by virtue of the geographic separation."
According to other news reports and court documents, Torres’ probation officer – along with Torres himself – testified at Wednesday’s hearing in District Court. While the probation officer spoke about Torres leaving his house on one occasion without permission and not properly setting up his electric monitor, Torres said that the violations could be explained and were unintentional.
This time around, Miller agreed with the government’s motion to remand, with Torres leaving the court in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following the hearing.
