Dominican cocaine trafficker agrees to minimum 10-year sentence

Dominican cocaine trafficker agrees to minimum 10-year sentence

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A native of the Dominican Republic has agreed to a minimum 10-year sentence for trafficking 175 pounds of cocaine in the territory.

Yeral Marrero Reynoso, 28, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.

According to court documents, on August 28, 2024, while patrolling in the Haulover Bay area of St. John, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine and Border Patrol agents observed two men on the trail heading towards Haulover Bay, one armed with an assault-style long gun.

Minutes later, the men were observed carrying three black duffel bags up the trail to the parking area where a gray Acura RDX was parked.

The agents, with the assistance of the Virgin Islands Police Department, stopped the vehicle driven by Marrero Reynoso.

The passenger, Rivera-Palmer, and Marrero Reynoso were the only occupants of the vehicle and matched the description of the two men seen earlier on the trail.

As they approached the vehicle, agents observed two assault-style rifles bearing no serial numbers on the rear passenger floorboard.

A Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine was also found on the driver side floorboard of the vehicle.

In the rear of the vehicle, agents recovered three duffle bags containing 75 kilograms of cocaine.

Each man was illegally present in the United States.

Based on their immigration status, Marrero Reynoso and Rivera-Palmer are prohibited from possessing firearms.

Marrero Reynoso faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison.

A district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Marrero Reynoso entered his guilty plea to United States Magistrate G. Alan Teague.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Border Patrol, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the
Virgin Islands Police Department investigated the case.

It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Payne.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led,
intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.