CHRISTIANSTED – A St. Croix man admitted in federal court to his role in a cocaine distribution operation in the territory.
Winston DeCastro, 46, of St. Croix, pled guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Golden Rock to one count of Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Cocaine, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
This offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of five years to 40 years, a maximum fine of $5 million dollars, and a term of supervised release for not more than five years.
Sentencing is set for July 19, 2018.
On September 15, 2015, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against DeCastro, aka Moo Moo.
According to court documents, on April 15, 2015, DeCastro provided crack cocaine to a co-defendant, Bruce McIntosh.
DeCastro then transported McIntosh to the McDonald’s restaurant at the LaReine Shopping Center in St. Croix for the purposes of selling the cocaine to a buyer.
Upon arrival, McIntosh exited DeCastro’s vehicle and sold the cocaine to the buyer for $1,800.
McIntosh then transferred this money to DeCastro.
Laboratory testing revealed that the drugs were cocaine base, a Schedule II controlled substance, with a net weight of 65.2 grams.
On social media, DeCastro counts gubernatorial candidate Albert Bryan Jr. as a friend on Facebook.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Task Force Officers with the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston.