Multi-Kilogram Cocaine Importer Sentenced To More Than Five Years In Federal Prison

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced David Torres-Velez (48, Davenport) to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Torres-Velez had pleaded guilty on April 20, 2022. 

According to court documents, Torres-Velez was involved in multiple kilogram-level cocaine transactions over the course of 2020 and 2021. On February 4, 2020, law enforcement stopped an individual in his vehicle leaving a retail store in Tampa who was found to be carrying two kilograms of cocaine. Minutes later, law enforcement stopped Torres-Velez as he left the same store. When Torres-Velez’s car was stopped and searched, Torres-Velez was found to be carrying $2,480 in a black satchel and another $53,400 in cash in a hidden compartment in his car.

In a separate investigation, DEA identified Torres-Velez as a source of cocaine that was being sent through the U.S. Mail. On August 17, 2020, Torres-Velez arranged to have a package sent from Puerto Rico to an address in Orlando where he attempted to recover that shipment. Law enforcement identified, seized, and searched the package and found it to contain two kilograms of cocaine. On January 20, 2021, the DEA learned that Torres-Velez was carrying another kilogram of cocaine. Those drugs were seized during a traffic stop.  

This case was investigated by the DEA and the FBI, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.