CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Croix man has been charged with trying to export 18 bricks of cocaine weighing about 42 pounds on a commercial airline flight leaving St. Thomas.
Mikhail “NastyMik” Munoz, 31, of Campo Rico, was charged with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Munoz made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Tuesday and; after a detention hearing today, Judge Miller ordered Munoz detained pending trial.
The federal complaint alleges that on May 20, Munoz checked himself and a suitcase in for a flight bound from St. Thomas to Miami.
When Munoz’s checked luggage passed through inspection with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), it set off an alarm, leading to the discovery of 18 “brick like” items, each of which was wrapped in aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and vacuum-sealed.
Each of the brick-like bundles contained a white powdery substance that field tested positive for cocaine.
Collectively, the bricks weighed about 19 kilograms (41.8878 pounds).
If convicted, Munoz faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, with a maximum of life.
On Facebook, Munoz said that he attended the St. Croix Educational Complex High School in Frederiksted.
His profile saying on Facebook is: “Loyalty Is Everything.”
This case is being investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with assistance from the U.S Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith J. Edwards.
Shappert said that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not in and of itself evidence of guilt.
“Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty,” she said.
