CHRISTIANSTED — A St. Croix man with previous felony convictions has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, authorities said.
Ladislau “Lad” Concepcion Jr., 47, of Christiansted, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said today.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Wilma A. Lewis handed down that sentence Tuesday with credit for time served, followed by five years of supervised release. Chief Judge Lewis also ordered Concepcion to pay a special assessment of $100. The firearm, which Concepcion did not have a license to possess, was ordered forfeited, by order of the court.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2017, Concepcion was the subject of a law enforcement-initiated traffic stop near the Golden Rock McDonald’s on St. Croix. He failed to produce a valid driver’s license, insurance, or registration for the vehicle he was operating.
Subsequently, a K-9 drug detection dog alerted for the presence of narcotics in the rear of the vehicle, and a search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 172 grams of marijuana, 11 grams of crack cocaine, 10 grams of cocaine, empty vials, plastic baggies, a digital scale, scissors, and three cellular phones. Officers found a loaded Taurus .38 caliber handgun in the vehicle’s glove box.
Concepcion, a convicted felon, did not have a license to possess the firearm, and was not permitted to possess it according to law.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.