CHRISTIANSTED — A 25-year-old California man is awaiting federal sentencing after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges following his arrest at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix.
United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced that Shaheel Singh entered a guilty plea on January 15, 2026, before Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III. Singh was charged with Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute.
The Investigation
The charges stem from an incident on Saturday, September 20, 2025. According to court records, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were conducting routine X-ray inspections of checked luggage arriving on American Airlines flight 2211 from Miami.
During the scan, officers identified a suitcase containing “images consistent with smuggling narcotics.” The baggage tag identified the owner as Singh.
The Arrest
Federal agents monitored the baggage carousel and observed Singh retrieve the suspicious luggage. He was immediately escorted to a secondary inspection area, where a physical search of the bag revealed:
- Multiple vacuum-sealed bags.
- A green leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana.
- A total weight of approximately 10.6 kilograms (roughly 23 pounds).
Legal Proceedings
The case was the result of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry is leading the prosecution.
Singh’s sentence will be determined by a federal judge at a later date, following a review of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
