Opinion ID: 198294
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Virgilio Davila Punto

Text: 6 Hidalgo testified that he, Ortiz-Baez, and Wilfredo and David Martnez-Matta began working for Santiago-Lugo's drug distribution ring sometime after Hidalgo moved to the Virgilio Davila housing project in 1990. He also testified that Ortiz-Baez and others packaged drugs at two rented apartments in Isla Verde and transported the drugs to various puntos. Hidalgo further testified that Reyes-Padilla, Santiago-Lugo's aunt, distributed drugs from a Virgilio Davila apartment used by Santiago-Lugo's grandparents. From this apartment, Morales-Santiago supplied Santiago-Lugo's distributors with drugs, including heroin and cocaine, and maintained a ledger to account for the drugs and proceeds. 7 On October 6, 1989, the Police of Puerto Rico (POPR) executed a search warrant at Virgilio Davila building 43, apartment 411. Reyes-Padilla was at the apartment with her parents. The search yielded twenty-six grams of cocaine and three grams of heroin packaged in over 250 small bags. Later, on October 17, 1989, the POPR executed a search warrant at the same apartment. When an officer first arrived, a young man was selling a controlled substance through an iron grating on the apartment door. When the officer identified himself, the man fled inside the apartment. A search of the apartment yielded two grams of heroin, less than a gram of cocaine, and over $2000 in U.S. currency. 8 At trial, POPR officer Angel Nieves-Domnguez testified that, pursuant to a tip, he conducted surveillance of Reyes-Padilla at Virgilio Davila building 43, apartment 412 during the afternoon of October 1 and the morning of October 2, 1991. On the first day, he observed Reyes-Padilla and Santiago-Lugo retrieve two large bags from the trunk of Santiago-Lugo's car. Upon reaching the stairs to building 43, Santiago-Lugo opened one of the brown bags and pulled out several transparent plastic bags that each contained smaller red bags. As Santiago-Lugo distributed the plastic bags to the persons assembled, Reyes-Padilla made notations in a notebook. Additionally, upon receiving the packages, some recipients hid the packages in nearby garbage cans or bushes. Reyes-Padilla took the other large brown bag up to apartment 412. 9 After Santiago-Lugo left, the officer observed one individual--who had received a package from Santiago-Lugo--apparently selling some of the smaller red bags to a young woman near building 44. Shortly thereafter, a young man arrived at apartment 412, and Reyes-Padilla sold the man a transparent bag appearing to contain heroin. The next day, the officer saw Santiago-Lugo arrive and deliver yet another brown bag to Reyes-Padilla. 10 Later that month, POPR executed a search warrant at apartment 412. At that time, defendants Reyes-Padilla and Morales-Santiago were in the apartment. The search yielded four decks of heroin in a Sucrets box, approximately $100,000 in U.S. currency, and two notebooks appearing to contain records of drug deliveries and debts. 11 In November, POPR officers observed Rosado-Rosado and a minor each engage in an apparent sale of controlled substances and give the proceeds from the sale to a heavy-set individual. Rosado-Rosado retrieved the drugs from a brown paper bag in his back pants pocket. When officers entered the housing project, Rosado-Rosado and the minor attempted to flee. Officers caught Rosado-Rosado and seized eighteen aluminum foil packets containing heroin and five bags containing cocaine. 12 Hidalgo testified at trial about the importance of the Virgilio Davila punto as a drug distribution site. He stated that he personally received packages of cocaine and heroin from Morales-Santiago to distribute on behalf of Israel Santiago-Lugo, and that he observed distributors from Santiago-Lugo's other puntos arrive at Virgilio Davila and receive packages from Morales-Santiago. He identified four pages of notebook entries under the name Batman from the notebook seized in October 1991 that pertained to his distribution of marijuana and cocaine at Virgilio Davila. 13 Among the entries in the notebook was one pertaining to fifty packets of heroin, referred to as C to correspond to cristal, and one pertaining to fifty packets of cocaine, referred to as R because of the brand name bolso rojo. Expert testimony showed that the entries recorded transactions transpiring almost daily between October 29, 1990 and October 24, 1991. The notebooks contained a price structure table which specified the prices of multiple units with a base price of $75 per unit. A conservative estimate of the amount of drugs distributed would be close to 50,000 units having a total value of approximately $3.5 million dollars.