California Man Who Admitted To Bringing Two Kilos of Marijuana To St. Thomas Faces Five Years in Prison

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CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A California man admitted in federal court to trying to smuggle 4.4 pounds of marijuana into the territory.

Kelley “Slim” Hansen, 28, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court before U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez, to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.

According to court documents, after communicating with a person about the sale of marijuana, Hansen agreed to travel to St. Thomas from California to complete the sale.

Hansen arrived on St. Thomas on board a commercial airline and was found in possession of about two kilograms of marijuana.

Hansen faces a sentence of not more than five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.00.

His sentencing is scheduled for June 21, 2018.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.