Hermida, of Easthampton, and Drullard, of Hadley, are charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine; also charged was Joaquin Carrillo, of Easthampton.
Federal courthouse in Springfield.SPRINGFIELD – A federal magistrate judge on Tuesday denied bail for two Hampshire County men federal investigators say helped orchestrate a Mexico-to-Easthampton cocaine ring.
Julio V. Hermida, 25, of Easthampton, and Pablo Drullard, 30, of Hadley, were arrested last week and charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine after a yearlong investigation by the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police departments. Also charged was Joaquin Carrillo, of Easthampton.
Court records state investigators seized between two and three kilos of cocaine from Hermida’s apartment at 322 Main St., Unit H, on May 3. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the co-defendants arranged for cocaine shipments from Mexico and Texas and sold it throughout New England until their arrests last week.
A paid informant for the DEA tape-recorded conversations with the men and made buys at the behest of federal agents, according to filings, bolstering the prosecution of the men. The recorded conversations included the co-defendants haggling over prices and defending the quality of the cocaine, in one case, court filings state.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth P. Neiman refused to release Hermida and Drullard on bail despite requests by their defense lawyers to set them free with electronic monitoring and other controls.
Of Hermida, Neiman noted Hermida’s ties to Mexico.
“An (electronic) bracelet does not act as an unbreakable leash,” Neiman said. “And it’s not as if he just happened to get caught up in other people’s bad acts,” the judge said.
Charles E. Dolan, a defense lawyer for Drullard, said his client has been a freelance software consultant and concert promoter just a few college credits shy of a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Drullard presently is a stay-at-home father for a nearly 2-year-old daughter, Dolan said.
Prosecutor Kevin O’Regan told Neiman that Drullard should be held, in part, because he was spotted by investigators in July with a man at Bradley International Airport who was apprehended the next day with 10 kilos of cocaine in the trunk of a Ford Taurus.
Dolan argued his client’s presence at the airport is “miles away” from proving Drullard is a major drug trafficker.
Carrillo’s detention hearing has not yet been scheduled.