Federal prosecutors announced that Puerto Rico’s most wanted fugitive, Nelson Torres-Delgado, a.k.a. “El Burro,” was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 17, in the municipality of Lajas, Puerto Rico, on criminal charges related to alleged drug trafficking and violent crimes, including murder, as part of three different indictments.

 

They said the first indictment in Crim. Case No. 17-621 was issued on Dec. 8, 2017, when Torres-Delgado was charged in a conspiracy with 43 others with drug trafficking and firearms violations. They said the second indictment was issued by a grand jury on May 20, 2019, in Crim. Case No. 19-307 when the defendant was charged with 25 others also with drug trafficking and firearms violations.

 

They said the third indictment pending against Torres-Delgado was issued on Aug. 21, this year, in Crim. Case 23-273, when he was charged in a conspiracy with 51 others with drug trafficking, firearms violations, and drug-related murders.

 

According to court documents, Nelson Torres-Delgado, 37, was the leader of a violent drug trafficking organization in Caguas and other areas of Puerto Rico, since the early 2010s. Prosecutors said he had been a federal fugitive since 2017 and allegedly maintained control over the criminal organization as a fugitive through deadly violence and intimidation, and by allegedly engaging in violent turf wars against rival drug trafficking organizations.

 

They said his methods of avoiding capture while controlling his gang included limited face-to-face contact to only the highest and most trusted leaders in his organization. “As alleged in the indictments, Torres-Delgado was the leader of a violent, armed criminal enterprise that he controlled even as a fugitive from justice since 2017,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Thanks to the tenacious efforts and collaboration of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, he now will face justice in a United States courtroom in Puerto Rico.”

 

Joseph González, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Juan field office, said, “When we work together, we accomplish more and when communities come alongside us as partners in the fight against drug trafficking and violent crime, amazing things can happen.” He added, “No one is above the law, and no one is untouchable. Especially, when the public collaborates with law enforcement. The FBI’s commitment is to the people and I look forward to continuing the work we have begun with our local partners and the support of the public.”

 

Torres-Delgado is charged with drug trafficking, firearms violations, money laundering, and multiple drug-related murders. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison, with the possibility of the death penalty for certain offenses. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

Christopher A. Robinson, special agent in charge of the Miami field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), said, “This arrest is a culmination of a long-term fugitive apprehension effort of one of the most violent individuals in an effort to bolster public safety for the people of Puerto Rico.”

 

The arrest of Torres-Delgado was led by the FBI, Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), ATF, and the United States Marshals Service (USMS). Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and chief of the gang section, Alberto López-Rocafort, deputy chief of the gang section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares, and AUSAs R. Vance Eaton and Héctor Siaca Flores are prosecuting the case.

 

The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.

 

Torres Delgao is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.