CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Two residents of Vieques who tried to smuggle more than one million dollars in cash by sea to St. Thomas have admitted their guilt in federal court.
Julius Alvarez-Gonzalez and Jimmy Garcia-Quinonez, of Vieques, Puerto Rico each entered guilty pleas to the charge of concealing over one million dollars in cash on a vessel outfitted for smuggling, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said today.
According to court documents, on July 26, 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine (AMO) agents stopped a vessel traveling without navigational lights, heading toward the western portion of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Prior to boarding, agents observed the defendants onboard the vessel. When the defendants saw the agents, they threw a large duffel bag overboard. Agents subsequently recovered and searched the duffel bag, which contained over one million dollars in United States currency.
The boat captain, Alvarez, faces 33 months incarceration and defendant Garcia faces 30 months incarceration. Each man faces a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces’ (OCDETF)
operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at
https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF