CHRISTIANSTED — A Grenada man faces a maximum 20 years in prison after admitting in federal court on St. Croix that he smuggled 70 pounds of cocaine.
Rodney de Roche, 39, of Saint George’s, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III accepted de Roche’s guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Golden Rock.
RODNEY DE ROCHE on Facebook.
He now faces up to 20 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for September 4, 2024. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2023, the United States Coast Guard intercepted a vessel approximately 116 nautical miles west of Fort de France, Martinique, a known drug trafficking area.
On board the vessel, officers observed multiple packages tied to sandbags being thrown overboard. One of the packages recovered from the ocean contained 32 kilograms of cocaine.
De Roche was one of six individuals found on the vessel.
The master of the vessel claimed Grenadian nationality for the vessel and the Government of Grenada granted a waiver of jurisdiction for the case and waived objection to the enforcement of United States laws.
This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston.
This effort 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.