CHARLOTTE AMALIE – A Dominican Republic native was given 7.25 years in prison by a federal judge for smuggling 110 pounds of cocaine in the territory.
Reynaldo Lerburds, 41, of Santo Domingo, was sentenced today before U.S. District Court Judge Curtis Gomez to conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert said.
Judge Gomez sentenced Lerburds to 87 months followed by five years of supervised release.
Additionally, Judge Gomez ordered that Lerburds pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, on April 17, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received information that Lerburds was traveling from St. John to St. Thomas on the car barge and that the vehicle he was driving contained cocaine.
The following day, DEA Agents stopped Lerburds after he was observed driving a Suzuki vehicle off the car barge.
When agents approached Leburds, they observed several large duffle bags in the rear of the vehicle.
Agents conducted a consensual search of Lerburds’ vehicle and found approximately 50 brick-like objects of a white powdery substance.
The white powdery substance tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 50 kilograms.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD).
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.
Outsiders and illegals will be the downfall of our beautiful V.I.
Dominican whorehouses parading as night clubs.
Time to make the V.I. great again! Deport the rabbits!