CHRISTIANSTED — A man was caught in a federal sting operation trying to sell 110 pounds of cocaine on St. Croix.
Leroy Roebuck, Jr., 36, of St. Croix, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson, III, for his initial appearing hearing after being charged with possession with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said.
Roebuck was ordered detained pending a detention hearing on April 28, 2023. If convicted, Roebuck faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, on April 25, 2023, Roebuck agreed to sell 60 kilograms of cocaine at a price of $900,000.00 to an undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent.
Roebuck contacted the undercover agent today to advise that he was only willing to sell 50 kilograms of cocaine as the remaining 10 kilograms were of poor quality.
After arriving at the location of the exchange, Roebuck showed the undercover agent four containers located inside his 2019 Jeep Wrangler and filled with 50 individually wrapped bricks of
cocaine.
Roebuck was immediately arrested and taken into custody by federal and local agents.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) are jointly investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Ortiz is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
(OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug
traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the
United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that
leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal
networks.
United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.