SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Nelson Torres-Delgado, a.k.a. “El Burro”, was arrested today in the municipality of Lajas, PR, on criminal charges related to his alleged drug trafficking and violent crimes charges in three different indictments since 2017. Torres-Delgado’s first indictment in Crim. Case No. 17-621 was issued on December 8, 2017, where he was charged in a conspiracy with 43 other individuals with drug trafficking and firearms violations. The second indictment was issued by a grand jury on May 20, 2019, in Crim. Case No. 19-307 where he was charged with 25 other individuals also with drug trafficking and firearms violations. The third indictment pending against Torres-Delgado was issued on August 21, 2024, in Crim. Case 23-273, where he was charged in a conspiracy with 51 other individuals 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, since the early 2010s. He had been a federal fugitive since 2017 and maintained control over the criminal organization as a fugitive through deadly violence and intimidation, and by engaging in violent turf wars against rival drug trafficking organizations. 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. 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,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
“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,” said Joseph González, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “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.”
“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,” said Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Division.
Torres-Delgado is charged with drug trafficking, firearms violations, money laundering, and multiple drug-related murders. If convicted, Torres-Delgado 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.
This arrest 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.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
