By Michael Donoghue
Vermont News First

BURLINGTON — A Springfield, Mass. man, who claims he stole a backpack with more than 1,200 packets of fentanyl from a man near the Amtrak station in Rutland last week, has been ordered held as a danger to the community and a risk to flee.

Rutland City Police arrested Victor J. Contreras, 26,  on charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl after he stashed the backpack near the Rutland Regional Medical Center, federal court records show.

Detective Cpl. Adam Lucia said in a court affidavit that Contreras also had about 6.4 ounces of crack cocaine.

Lucia said when Contreras was stopped he also was carrying some fentanyl with packaging that matched how the drug was packaged in the backpack.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher argued during the detention hearing that Contreras needed to be jailed because he had a spotty criminal history, including failing to comply with terms of probation or for showing up for court hearings.

Lasher said the story Contreras offered police was that he stole the backpack because  he thought the man was possessing illegal drugs,

The prosecutor noted it appeared Contreras was on probation in state court in Springfield, Mass. when arrested in Rutland.  Contreras also had a pending felony in Connecticut when arrested last week, Lasher said.

It also appeared Contreras had a pending drug charge in Massachusetts when the Connecticut case happened, he said.

Lasher also said Contreras attempted to avoid prosecution in June 2021 when he initially provided his brother’s name during a traffic stop in northern Vermont by the U.S. Border Patrol.  The stop led to a felony charge, but it was later dropped and now details no longer show on his record, Lasher said.  

Visiting Federal Magistrate Judge James P. O’Hara of Kansas, who is filling in this week, said he was equally  concerned and that the release of Contreras would pose a serious danger.  He cited his apparent willingness to rob somebody to get a distribution quantity of illegal drugs

He ruled the weight of the evidence was strong, the case involved drugs, Contreras faced a lengthy prison term if convicted and lacked ties to Vermont or stable employment.

Judge O’Hara also cited Contreras was on probation at the time of the offense, has failed to appear for court, has a history of substance abuse and using weapons

Assistant Federal Defender Barclay Johnson had argued that Contreras could be released back to Springfield, Mass. with location monitoring and home detention.  Johnson noted Contreras had a part-time job.

Contreras did appear briefly in federal court on Monday after his arrest over the weekend.  The detention hearing was postponed until Wednesday to give the defense more time to prepare.

Rutland Officer Kelsey Parker and Sgt. Eric Morgano were alerted by the security staff at the Rutland Regional Medical Center about an incident near the walking trail, Lucia said in a court affidavit.  Security provided a video that showed two men showed up in a vehicle and walked to the entrance of the trails.  When they later returned one man, who had a backpack, was empty handed, Lucia said.

Security later found the bag and upon checking it, found drugs inside and alerted Rutland Police, Lucia wrote.

Parker later heard Vermont State Police make a traffic stop and information she heard made her believe it was the person that had been caught on video leaving the backpack near the hospital, police said.  She stopped by the traffic stop and confirmed Contreras was the person from the hospital, police said.

Parker, while searching Contreras determined that he had wax glassine bags known in the drug trade as “tickets” that are used to sell heroin and/or fentanyl, Lucia said.    

Lucia said during a police interview, Contreras admitted he stolen the back pack from a Black man in the area of the Amtrak station near Walmart on Shopping Plaza Road.  Contreras claimed he was worried about taking the bag from a “drug dealer.”

He said he and a friend ran to their car near Uncle Sam’s Pub on State Street about a half mile away.  He also reported that the bag he stole was white, but when he tossed it when he found a smaller black backpack inside with the drugs, police said.