CHRISTIANSTED — A previously-deported Dominican Republic national who used a fake ID to try to board a flight from St. Croix to Florida has admitted to his guilt in federal court, authorities said. Reynaldo Mejia-Mejia, of Santo Domingo, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge George Cannon, Jr. to illegally reentering the […]
Tag: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
U.S. Virgin Islands Greenlights Caribbean Nationals’ Visits By Waiving Visa Requirement
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The territory will no longer require a visa for visitors from neighboring Caribbean islands. The House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee approved The Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act, making it possible for visitors from the Caribbean to receive a non-immigrant visitor visa exemption to enter St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John for up to […]
Colombian Who Entered United States With Fake ID At St. Croix Airport Gets 6 Months
CHRISTIANSTED — A Colombian man who used a fake ID to enter the United States at the St. Croix airport got a half year in prison today. Andres Bejarano, 34, of Bogata, was given that judgment by U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A Lewis on the charge of falsely representing to be a citizen of […]
Coast Guard Seizes $20 Million In Cocaine, After At-Sea Drug Bust Near Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN — The Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley crew and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents offloaded approximately 1,000 kilograms of seized cocaine at Coast Guard Base San Juan Monday, following the interdiction of a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea near Puerto Rico. This interdiction is the result of multi-agency efforts involving […]
Texas Fugitive Stopped At St. Thomas Airport By CBP Agents: VIPD
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A man wanted on criminal charges in Texas was taken into custody at the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas on Wednesday, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department. Stuart Nicholas Lopez, 30, of Texas, was arrested and charged with being a fugitive from justice, after the Criminal Investigation Bureau determined […]
Dominican Man With Fake ID Stopped By CBP Agents At St. Croix Airport
CHRISTIANSTED — A Dominican man with a fake Puerto Rican driver’s license was stopped by federal authorities at the St. Croix airport this week. Reynaldo Mejia-Mejia, 33, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was arrested Wednesday on St. Croix and charged by federal complaint with illegally reentering the United States and possession and use of […]
Florida Woman Gets Probation For Smuggling 15 Pounds Of Marijuana Into St. Croix
FREDERIKSTED — A Florida woman was given no prison time by a federal judge for smuggling 15 pounds of marijuana into St. Croix. Yvette Simeina, 41, of Orlando, was sentenced to two years of probation and a $1,000 fine for attempting to smuggle 6.6 kilograms of marijuana through the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. […]
Georgia Man Charged With Mailing Guns With Obliterated Serial Numbers To St. Thomas
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that Tyrone Ortiz, 37, of Rex, Georgia, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller yesterday for an advice of rights hearing following his arrest for possession of three firearms with obliterated serial numbers. According to Court records, on March 10, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) […]
Georgia Man With 4 Pounds Of Pot In Bag Gets 4 Months In Prison
CHRISTIANSTED — A Georgia man with ties to St. Croix got one month in prison for every pound of marijuana he brought to the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport last year. U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis today sentenced Ra’Kheel Velasquez to four months in prison for possession of a controlled substance with the intent […]
New York Man Who Flew 11 Pounds of Ganja Here Pleads Guilty To Drug Smuggling
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A New York man who claimed a stranger offered him $15,000 to take 11 pounds of marijuana from Washington D.C. to St. Thomas has pleaded guilty to drug smuggling. Christopher Lloyd Turnbull, of New York City, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to possession with intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney […]