CHRISTIANSTED — A native of Venezuela got 3.8 years in prison for smuggling at least 70 pounds of cocaine into the Caribbean.
Jose Reinoza, 33, of Caracas, was sentenced to 46 months incarceration after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Presiding Judge Wilma A. Lewis also ordered Reinoza to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2023, the United States Coast Guard
Cutter Diligence intercepted a vessel traveling at 116 nautical miles West of Fort de France,
Martinique, in the eastern Caribbean.
As the Coast Guard approached the vessel, the captain failed to stop and the occupants onboard began jettisoning packages that were tied to sandbags overboard.
After the last package was thrown overboard, the vessel came to a complete stop. Coast Guard officers successfully retrieved several bales of cocaine from the ocean with a total weight of 32 kilograms.
Onboard the vessel were Reinoza and Rodney De Roche, Adel Munrom, Arim Compton, Kevin Francis and Darryl Pope, all of Grenada.
The master of the vessel claimed Grenadian nationality for the vessel, which the country of Grenada later confirmed.
The Government of Grenada granted a waiver of jurisdiction for the case and waived objection
to the enforcement of United States law by the United States.
On May 2, 2024, De Roche pleaded guilty to cocaine conspiracy and will be sentenced on November 1, 2024.
The remaining defendants are in custody awaiting trial.
This case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston.