CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A Dominican man and a Haitian man admitted in federal court today that they arranged to pick up cocaine that they sent through the U.S. mail to St. Thomas.
Tommy Ramirez, 29, of the Dominican Republic and Ramon Clavel, 55, of Haiti, plead guilty today in U.S. District Court before U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez, to possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
According to court documents, on February 12, 2018, Ramirez instructed Clavel to present himself at the Emancipation Gardens post office to claim a package that contained a white powdery substance.
The white powdery substance was sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory and testing confirmed to be one kilogram of cocaine, a controlled substance.
Ramirez and Clavel face a minimum sentence of five years and a fine of $250,000.00.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 23, 2018.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the United States Postal Inspection Services (USPIS), and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.