4 Jamaicans charged with smuggling nearly 4,000 pounds of marijuana

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging four Jamaican men with smuggling nearly 4,000 pounds of marijuana in Caribbean waters.

Miguel Orr, 29, Rayvon Smith, 21, Sherland Campbell, 39 and Romaine Betty, 29, were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.

According to court documents, on April 30, 2024, the United States Coast Guard intercepted
a vessel located approximately 14 nautical miles off the coast of Haiti.

Onboard the vessel were the four defendants and approximately 3,700 pounds of marijuana which was hidden in a compartment of the vessel.

This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and Homeland Security
Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Riley.

United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that an indictment is merely a formal
charging document, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt in a court of law.

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.