Companion of Alleged Hit Man Is Denied Bail

The woman companion of a Colombian man who has been linked to 50 slayings was ordered held without bail Thursday pending a hearing on charges that she entered the United States illegally and assaulted an immigration officer.

U.S. Magistrate Roger Curtis McKee denied bail to Lucia Minotta de Wittkamp, 32, a Colombian citizen, after an immigration officer testified that she tried to bite him as he was arresting her last Friday at the port of entry at San Ysidro. U.S. officials have expressed fears that Minotta de Wittkamp could flee the country if granted bail.

Minotta de Wittkamp, who is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego, was arrested after she was found in the hidden compartment of a van along with Adolfo Martinez Micolta, 36. In court papers, U.S. authorities have described Martinez Micolta as a “major narcotics trafficker” and a suspected hit man connected to about 50 drug-related slayings in Colombia and in the Oakland area.

U.S. authorities are attempting to verify the drug and slaying allegations, which originated from intelligence information, according to Kevin McInerney, the assistant U.S. attorney handling the case. Officials have said there is no evidence that Martinez Micolta has ever been convicted of a crime in the United States.

At the moment, Martinez Micolta is charged only with entering the country illegally after he was deported last year. He is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.

If convicted of the assault charge, Minotta de Wittkamp faces a jail term of five years and a fine of $250,000, said McInerney. A preliminary hearing for her is scheduled April 7.