SAN JUAN — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos offloaded 551 pounds (250 kgs) of seized cocaine Tuesday in Puerto Rico. Three men, one Venezuelan and two Dominican Republic nationals, apprehended in this case are facing federal prosecution in Puerto Rico. The interdiction is the result of multi-agency efforts in support of the Caribbean […]
Tag: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
3 More Crew Members of La Gran Tormenta Plead Guilty To Cocaine Smuggling
CHRISTIANSTED — Three more members of a Venezuelan fishing boat — including the vessel’s captain — have pleaded guilty to their roles in smuggling 124 pounds of cocaine to St. Croix. Vincent Mata Anyelo, 23, Alfer Rodriguez Boadas, 24, and Jhonny Rodriguez Rodriguez, 29, three of eleven Venezuelan nationals apprehended at sea off the coast […]
Sexogenarian Dominican Madam Pleads Guilty To Importing Sex Slaves
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Dominican Republic woman who imported at least eight women to work as sex slaves and then forced them to perform sex acts to pay off debts and $200 per month rent has pleaded guilty to her role in the criminal enterprise. Ramona Rivera Luna, 65, of Santo Domingo, pleaded guilty on […]
Coast Guard Seizes $20 Million In Cocaine, After At-Sea Drug Bust Near Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN — The Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley crew and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents offloaded approximately 1,000 kilograms of seized cocaine at Coast Guard Base San Juan Monday, following the interdiction of a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea near Puerto Rico. This interdiction is the result of multi-agency efforts involving […]
CBP, DEA Agents Seize St. Thomas Aircraft Tied To Smuggling Activities
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents seized a St. Thomas aircraft on Tuesday suspected of having been used for smuggling events. During an arrest conducted in the fall of 2021, AMO agents working with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Department […]
Habitual Gun Offender Cuts Deal With Feds To Get A Lighter Sentence
CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix repeat gun offender got a lighter sentence after pleading guilty to a lesser included charge — even though a traffic stop found illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia in his car. Lionel Woodley, 36, of Peter’s Rest, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis on Thursday and was sentenced […]
St. Croix Man Gets 5 Years In Prison For Moving 4 Pounds of Cocaine Through Airport Bathroom
CHRISTIANSTED — A man was given five years in prison for trying to engineer the movement of 4.4 pounds of cocaine through the St. Croix airport bathroom last year. Keithley Parris, 34, appeared before Visiting U.S. District Court Judge Ann E. Thompson and was sentenced today on one count each of conspiracy to possess cocaine […]
Dominican Who Kept Venezuelan Women As Sex Slaves In St. Thomas ‘Dungeon’ Gets 6.5 Years
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A federal judge ordered a Dominican woman to sit in prison for six and 1/2 years and pay nearly $1 million in restitution for her role in a prostitution ring that recruited females as young as 17. Yohanna Gonzalez-McFarlane, 40, of the Dominican Republic, appeared before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert […]
2 Men Arrested For Plotting To Move 190 Pounds of Cocaine Through St. Thomas
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Federal criminal charges have been filed against two men for conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, following the seizure of 86 kilograms of cocaine and a firearm at a Frenchtown residence on St. Thomas Yefri Martinez Herrera of the Dominican Republic and Kelly Bruney of the Caribbean were arrested […]
Feds and VIPD Find Gun And Drugs At John F. Kennedy Terrace During Joint Operation
CHRISTIANSTED — Federal agents and local police officers seized an illegal gun and drugs during a joint operation at a Richmond housing project this weekend. Crime Stoppers USVI got a tip about “possible illegal activity” occurring at the John F. Kennedy Terrace and forwarded it to authorities, the Virgin Islands Police Department said. “During the […]