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N.J. woman accused of smuggling half-kilo of cocaine in her stomach

Print | Comments () Posted by John Ellement February 7, 2011 04:08 PM

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By Brian R. Ballou and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A New Jersey woman accused of smuggling a half-kilo cocaine in her stomach was held on high cash bail today as authorities disclosed new details about the investigation that snared her and a man who was allegedly paid $500 to drive her from Logan International Airport while posing as her boyfriend.

Luisa Gil, 21, of Union City, N.J., arrived at Logan on a JetBlue flight from the Dominican Republic Saturday night. She got increased attention from law enforcement in Boston because her trip to the US was booked on the same day she boarded the aircraft, according to Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Jennifer OKeeffe.

Gil, who had just one carry-on bag, allegedly told investigators she planned to visit a relative in Roxbury. As investigators questioned her, Gil allegedly gave police the phone number of a man she identified as her cousin, William Gil, who was to pick her up at Logan.

But when police contacted the man, identified in court as Daniel Rivera Velazquez, he allegedly told them he was at Logan to pick up his girlfriend, whom he identified as a "Miss Jimenez."

Police quickly realized there were problems with both stories because Velazquez had a copy of Gil’s passport photograph stuffed in his shoe and police learned there was no woman named Jimenez on the flight, officials said.

Velazquez allegedly told investigators he was paid $500 by two men to drive to Logan, pick up Gil, and drive her to a pickup point. Velazquez is an illegal alien who is now in custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials said today.

Gil, according to authorities, allegedly admitted she had ingested 52 pills of compressed cocaine before she left the Dominican Republic. She was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where, under the watch of law enforcement, the half-kilo of cocaine was recovered.

In court today, Anthony J. Lochiatto, Gil’s court-appointed defense attorney said Gil has no prior criminal record and that her alleged role, if true, is minimal. He also said that Gil, who listened to the court hearing with the help of a Spanish language translator, did not know what was in the pills when she swallowed them.

Judge Robert Ronquillo set bail at $200,000 cash.