CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Federal law enforcement agents recently recovered four duffel bags stuffed with $2.25 million in cash out of the waters off of the coast of St. Thomas, authorities said.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs Border Patrol Air Marine Operation (CBP-AMO) personnel reported that while on duty in the western area of St. Thomas that they spotted a vessel traveling towards St. Thomas from Puerto Rico without navigational lights on June 10, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
CBP-AMO officers observed two subjects on the unknown vessel, which was described as a 25’ twin engine “yola,” tossing duffle bags overboard as CBP-AMO approached.
Federal law enforcement officers engaged in apprehension efforts and attempted to board the unidentified vessel.
The vessel was able to evade law enforcement during the pursuit, however, DHS and CBP-AMO officers later recovered four duffel bags that had been thrown overboard.
A search of the four recovered duffel bags revealed approximately $2.25 million in bulk U.S. currency that was vacuum sealed within numerous bundles of plastic wrappings.
Meanwhile, people in the U.S. Virgin Islands took the news of the cache of cash discovery in stride.
“I was wondering where I dropped that,” Nick Thompson said on Facebook.
Another was impressed.
“Wow wow.” Prisca Christophe wrote on Facebook.
“We in the struggle in the VI,” Croixligator Kreamo said on Facebook. “Why don’t they leave that sh_t out there so people can find it? We the people don’t know how much it was. Sound like it was way more than that. Alphabet gangster strikes again.”
This seizure is part of an ongoing joint federal initiative between the United States Attorney’s Office District of the Virgin Islands, HSI, DEA, FBI, ATF, IRS-CI and CBP-AMO as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
The task force is focused on disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations in the Caribbean and which seeks to seize and forfeit the proceeds of criminal activity.