John McCarthy
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A California woman was arraigned on marijuana smuggling charges in U.S. District Court on St. Thomas on June 9 , authorities said.
Jaclyn Raquel Quiroz, of California, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Virgin Islands on drug trafficking and conspiracy charges on May 21, 2025, Acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper said.
The indictment charges Quiroz with one count of conspiracy to commit a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Sleeper said.
According to court records, on March 26, 2025, Quiroz arrived at the Cyril E. King airport on board a United Airlines flight.
After the flight arrived, the checked baggage was placed into a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) x-ray machine.
CBP officers noticed some anomalies in two suitcases with luggage tags listed under Quiroz’s name.
CBP officers identified dense substances inside both suitcases, which they recognized as consistent with the attributes of marijuana.
The suitcases were placed on the checked baggage carousel, where they would be retrieved by the owner.
CBP officers observing the suitcases witnessed Quiroz retrieve both suitcases from the carousel.
CBP officers stopped Quiroz nd requested identification, which she provided in the form of a California driver’s license.
Quiroz was then escorted to a secondary inspection area. CBP officers opened the suitcases to
further examine them.
Inside both suitcases, the officers discovered several black vacuum sealed packages covered by a towel.
Upon closer inspection, the packaging was found to contain approximately 20 kilograms of marijuana.
This case was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise George.
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/57764981/USA_v_Quiroz
