ST. THOMAS, USVI – A late-night, high-speed chase off the coast of St. Thomas ended with a hefty prison sentence for Brian Santiago Gonzalez, 25, of Puerto Rico. Gonzalez was sentenced to 137 months’ imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release on July 1, 2025, by Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy, following a guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine on December 9, 2024. The case lays bare the continued flow of narcotics through the Caribbean and the lengths smugglers will go to avoid capture.
The bust unfolded in the early hours of March 29, 2022. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) personnel spotted a vessel operating without navigation lights, tearing through the waters near Savanah Island, west of St. Thomas. The vessel was clocked moving at a high rate of speed, originating from Culebra, Puerto Rico, and headed towards Hendrick Bay, St. Thomas. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine (AMO) units were dispatched to intercept the suspect boat, receiving real-time location updates from the USCG.
What followed was a desperate attempt to evade authorities. AMO agents located the “lights-out” vessel using radar and signaled for it to stop. Gonzalez and his co-defendant, Wesly Albert Amaro, refused to comply, instead opting to jettison multiple duffle bags overboard in a frantic effort to ditch the evidence. The AMO agents weren’t fooled. They disabled the vessel’s engine, bringing the chase to an end. Agents diligently marked the locations where the bags had been thrown from the boat.
A subsequent search of the marked areas yielded a substantial haul: three duffle bags containing a staggering 79 kilograms of cocaine. The street value of that amount is considerable, fueling the demand that drives the drug trade and its associated violence. This wasn’t a small-time operation; it was a calculated attempt to flood the streets with a dangerous and destructive substance. Amaro, also facing federal charges, previously received a 108-month prison sentence and 3 years of supervised release on August 18, 202, after pleading guilty.
The investigation was a collaborative effort led by CBP-AMO, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne skillfully prosecuted the case, securing the conviction and lengthy sentence for Gonzalez. This case was far from isolated. It was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, a multi-agency initiative designed to dismantle high-level criminal organizations. OCDETF utilizes an intelligence-driven approach to identify and disrupt those who threaten the United States.
Those interested in learning more about the OCDETF Program can find additional information at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The conviction of Santiago Gonzalez sends a clear message: those who attempt to profit from the illicit drug trade will face the full force of federal law. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the ongoing fight against drug trafficking in the US Virgin Islands and beyond.
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Key Facts
- State: Virgin Islands
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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