PUERTO RICAN MAN SENTENCED TO 70 MONTHS INCARCERATION ON COCAINE POSSESSION CONVICTION

St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Carlos Velez-Lopez, 25, of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, was sentenced to 70 months incarceration by Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy after pleading guilty on February 21, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, on September 24, 2020, while conducting surveillance, Drug Enforcement Administration agents observed Emanuel Campbell Camacho approach a vehicle and remove a large, heavily weighted duffle bag from the vehicle. Camacho entered a waiting vehicle with the duffle bag and the vehicle took Camacho to the Windward Passage Hotel. After arriving at Windward Passage, Camacho carried the large duffel bag to the second floor of the hotel where Velez-Lopez was waiting. Agents approached both men and recovered 30 kilograms of cocaine from the duffle bag. Cell phones records later confirmed that Velez-Lopez and Camacho arranged the cocaine delivery. On June 21, 2023, Judge Molloy sentenced Camacho to 87 months incarceration for his role in the drug conspiracy.

This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne. The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.