Previously deported illegal alien arrested for allegedly dealing meth in Utah — media still tries to hide immigration status



An illegal alien with multiple deportations to his name has been arrested in connection with approximately 50 pounds of methamphetamine seized in the Salt Lake City area.

Last month, Fermin Castro Tovar, a 25-year-old Mexican national in the U.S. illegally, came on the radar of local law enforcement after he allegedly "delivered controlled substances" to a police source, a probable cause statement said. A GPS tracker was then surreptitiously placed on Tovar's vehicle, and officers quickly learned he made frequent visits to an apartment where he does not reside.

Ksl.com and ABC4 mentioned nothing about his immigration status until the final paragraph of their respective stories.

On Thursday, federal and local agents were issued three search warrants in connection with Tovar. This first warrant permitted them to search a storage unit, where agents allegedly discovered 25 lbs. of meth.

As Tovar drove home from work that day, agents pulled him over and arrested him without incident.

They then shared with Tovar that they had discovered meth at his storage unit. Rather than deny anything or demand a lawyer, he apparently became quite cooperative. Not only did he allegedly inform investigators that they would find another six pounds of meth at his main residence, prompting a second search warrant, but he even reportedly copped to his role in an international drug-running scheme.

He acknowledged that he was "being coordinated and directed by a source of supply in Mexico," the arrest report said. "He admitted to distributing methamphetamine about two times a week in the Salt Lake County area."

Tovar also allegedly admitted to investigators that the apartment he visits is yet another place to store meth. No one lives there, he said. Agents then got a third warrant to search the apartment, where they reportedly seized another 20 pounds of meth.

"Castro Tovar admitted having access to all three locations, and being responsible and temporary owner of all the methamphetamine seized. He was the person directly in contact with the sources of supply to pick up the methamphetamine and distribute it throughout the area," arresting documents said.

Tovar was ultimately charged with three felony counts of second-degree distribution of a controlled substance and booked into Salt Lake City Jail, where is now held without bail. He is also considered a flight risk because he has family in Mexico and a "history of deportation," the Gephardt Daily reported, so ICE has issued an immigration detainer against him.

Despite his previous deportations and the seriousness of the accusations against him, several media outlets have still seemingly buried the news about his legal status. A quick internet search revealed that at least three Utah outlets covered the Tovar story, and none of them mentioned his status in their headlines.

In fact, Ksl.com and ABC4 mentioned nothing about his immigration status until the final paragraph of their respective stories. The Gephardt Daily, by contrast, made frequent references to Tovar's immigration status and noted that he speaks only Spanish. However, even the Daily referred to Tovar simply as a "northern Utah man" in its lede paragraph.

Thomas Stevenson, the politics editor with the Post Millennial, called out Ksl.com for its framing of the Tovar story, accusing the outlet of "providing cover for Utah’s immigration policy failures."

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Suspect fleeing drug bust on motorcycle meets his demise after cop hurls cooler into him, sending him flying



An NYPD police sergeant is in hot water after putting a fleeing suspect on ice.

The department noted in a statement that 35-year-old Sgt. Erik Duran, a 13-year veteran with the Narcotics Borough Bronx, has been suspended from duty without pay following a Wednesday incident in which a man attempting to flee from the police on a motorcycle wound up dead.

The New York state Attorney General's Office is now leading the investigation into possible wrongdoing.

Undercover narcotics officers executed a drug bust in the University Heights section of the Bronx in hopes of capturing drug traffickers in the area, reported the New York Times.

According to officials, the 30-year-old decedent, Eric Duprey, sold drugs to one of the officers. After the exchange was made, plainclothes and undercover officers swooped in to make the arrest.

However, before police could cuff Duprey, he jumped onto a motorcycle and sped off.

Surveillance cameras captured footage of Duprey whipping perilously down a sidewalk near the corner of 190th Street. The fleeing suspect careened toward a group of roughly 10 people seated around a table as well as Sgt. Duran.

Duran reportedly grabbed a plastic cooler from the table and hurled it toward the motorcycle.

A witness told the Daily News that Duprey "was on the bike, moving north when the cops started chasing him. ... Then he took a U-turn and was riding on the sidewalk. ... The cop then took my cooler, which was filled with soda cans, water bottles, and hit him."

The sergeant's aim was good, and the suspect's handling was poor.

After being struck by the cooler, the fleeing suspect lost control, then went flying into a tree. The motorcycle carried on into a metal barricade and a Jeep Cherokee.

Officers immediately called for medical assistance, which arrived just after 5:30 p.m.. Duprey was pronounced dead minutes later.

Duprey reportedly had at least two previous arrests, including an open felony assault case from last summer and a drug case in March.

Orlyanis Velez, Duprey's widow, indicated that he left behind two children, ages 5 and 3, whom she has yet to tell about their father's death.

Duprey reportedly also had a third child, age 9.

"Officers are supposed to be protecting people, not killing people for no reason," said Velez.

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The Times indicated that Duran's suspension has been criticized inside the department.

One high-ranking officer said that Duran "had attempted to make a lawful arrest" and that the sergeant's use of the cooler could "be equated to closing the door and stopping from leaving."

It appears that the hasty suspension may have been intended to put a damper on protests or worse.

An internal departmental memo obtained by the New York Post said, "We had an incident in the Bronx with narcotics that is high potential for unrest."

The memo further recommended that officers keep their protective gear and batons handy.

Sgt. Duran's lawyer Andrew Quinn indicated that his client would be exonerated, stating, "There is much more to this situation than the brief, 10-second video clip shows."

"What is undisputably clear is that the deceased, who was intent on evading arrest for selling drugs to an undercover officer, was speeding on a motorbike in an incredibly dangerous manner down a crowded sidewalk, jeopardizing the life and safety of everyone there," added Quinn.

Duran has reportedly been recognized by the force 38 times for excellent and meritorious police service.

NYPD says sergeant who threw object at suspect, killing him, is suspendedyoutu.be

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'People really listen whenever he speaks': Former drug dealer who served hard time now working to mentor at-risk youth in his community

'People really listen whenever he speaks': Former drug dealer who served hard time now working to mentor at-risk youth in his community



A Florida man who served two decades in prison for non-violent drug offenses is now working to keep young people in his community from following in his footsteps.

Hassan Hills, 42, of Pensacola, Florida, has begun a nonprofit called Youths Left Behind designed to support young people whose parents have been incarcerated.

"Out of all of the thousands of people in federal prison, I made it out," Hills said, "and I always told myself that if I ever got out, I will come back to the communities that I once destroyed and try to build them from within by working with our young people."

Hills says he knows how to help them because he was once among them.

"I myself was in the juvenile facility growing up, and when I went there, I saw the eyes of the children, the need for some mentorship," Hills said.

Hills' mom served time in a New Jersey prison for crack cocaine. When she was released and moved Hills and his siblings to Pensacola for a fresh start, Hills began selling drugs on his own to help his mother stay afloat.

"I had to do what I had to do in order to put food on the table and provide for me and my family," he said, according to Colin Warren-Hicks of the Pensacola News Journal. "What started off as just something to provide for my family led to a heart of greed, and I got addicted ... What most people don't understand is that it's an addiction. The money, the fame, the adrenaline that you get, it's an addiction."

In late 2001 when he was 20, after two felony convictions as a juvenile, Hills was found guilty of federal drug trafficking charges and sentenced to life in prison. Things looked bleak.

However, Hills was one of 330 prisoners who had their sentences commuted by former President Barack Obama before he left office. Then, when former President Donald Trump signed revisions to the Fair Sentencing Act, Hills qualified and applied for reduced sentencing.

His motion for early release was granted, and Hills was released on Feb. 5, 2021.

Shortly after his release, Hills reached out to the man who once worked hard to put him away: former police officer and current Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons. Hills wanted Simmons' help in establishing a mentorship problem for at-risk kids.

"He feels like he owes the community a debt, and he has set out to repay that debt," Simmons said. "I'm glad to be able to help him in any way that I can, and I'm just super proud of him."

Hills now spends much of his time volunteering at places like AMIkids Pensacola – Escambia Boys Base and the Academy of Growth and Development, meeting with mainly teenage boys who need strong guidance.

Together, he and Simmons often speak about the evils of drug trafficking and the importance of making good choices for the future.

"Our objective at Youths Left Behind is to aid and assist youth who've been affected by a parent, guardian or loved one caught up in the system of mass incarceration, drug addiction and to provide comprehensive mentorship," Hills said.

"People really listen whenever he speaks," Simmons said.