A 48-year-old man who pled guilty to distributing cocaine earlier this year was sentenced to just under six years in federal prison this week.
David Torres-Velez, of Davenport, was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison by U.S. Middle District of Florida Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Torres-Velez pled guilty in April.
According to court records, Torres-Velez was caught selling large quantities of cocaine multiple times throughout 2020 and 2021.
During one instance on February 4, 2020, law enforcement stopped an individual who was carrying 2 kilograms of cocaine and was leaving a retail store in Tampa. Just a few minutes later, police stopped Torres-Velez as he left the same retail store.
Torres-Velez’s car was stopped and searched, and authorities recovered $55,880, most of which was concealed in a hidden compartment in his car.
During a separate investigation in August of 2020, Drug Enforcement Administration officials identified Torres-Velez as the recipient of a 2-kilogram package of cocaine that was sent through the United States Postal Service. Torres-Velez arranged to have the package sent from Puerto Rico to an address in Orlando, where he attempted to recover the shipment.
Law enforcement was able to identify, seize, and search the package before it arrived.
During another incident on January 20, 2021, the DEA learned that Torres-Velez was carrying at least one kilogram of cocaine and seized the drugs during a traffic stop.