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Authorities arrest own ‘cooperating defendant’
Members of the CNMI Drug Enforcement Task Force arrested on Wednesday afternoon their own “cooperating defendant” after they found that he was allegedly present, without their authority, during a drug buy-walk operation in a car with a known distributor of methamphetamine or “ice.”
Robert Camacho Torres, 37, was taken to Superior Court yesterday on charges of trafficking of controlled substance and conspiracy.
Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho imposed a $100,000 cash bail and set the preliminary hearing for June 14 at 1:30pm.
Assistant public defender Cindy Nesbit was appointed as counsel for Torres. Assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub appeared for the government.
Office of the Attorney General investigator George Fleming, a DETF member, stated in an affidavit that in May 2015 the court released Torres pursuant to a stipulation agreement after authorities used him as a “cooperating defendant” for the government.
Fleming said Torres has violated his release conditions set forth by the court.
Fleming said members of DETF and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted an investigation into the reported drug activities of a known “ice” distributor last March 29.
Fleming said during a controlled buy-walk operation last April 5, their other “cooperating defendant” managed to buy $130 worth of “ice” from the known drug distributor inside a car in the parking lot of MSV Building II in Garapan.
Fleming said the “cooperating defendant” disclosed to them that Torres was in the car during the drug transaction.
Fleming said their video/audio recording devices confirmed that Torres was indeed present in the car during the drug deal.
Fleming said they did not authorize Torres to be facilitating with other known drug associates.
He added that Torres has not been constantly communicating with them and uncooperative with him.
