Hector Alcenio, one of the most recent defendants to plead guilty in the drug trafficking case involving former Planning and Natural Resources Enforcement Director Roberto Tapia, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 months in jail.
Alcenio pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to posess with intent to distribute cocaine. He was arrested in connection with the case in July 2013 and charged as part of the 69-count indictment brought against Tapia, fomer Police Sgt. Angelo Hill and five others.
So far, Tapia has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for drug trafficking, while Hill was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Tapia was initially arrested last May and charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm while drug trafficking. In September 2013, he was charged in a 34-count second superseding indictment, along with Hill, Raymond Brown, Alcenio, Edwin Monsanto, Stephen Torres and Eddie Lopez-Lopez.
The case was investigated by the Public Corruption Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the V.I. Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Coast Guard; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Office of the Virgin Islands Inspector General.
The sentences for these men are a joke and a slap in the face to the law abiding citizens that place their faith in the “system.” No wonder corruption is rampant here in our islands. There is no real punishment for wrong-doers. Truly disgusting.
I could comment with a lot of detail about Tapia and his escapades over the years as a “law enforcement officer”, including his testimony in other federal cases and the implications in those matters. But I won’t. The simple, and concise answer is “it’s the V.I.” Everyone should read “RAPE OF THE AMERICAN VIRGINS” by O’Neill to get the real picture of what goes on in the V.I. and why. Nothing has changed since the 1972 publication date.