Cocaine Queen: Morton Gets 8 Years in USVI Smuggling Ring

ST. THOMAS, USVI – Nilda Morton, 32, of St. Thomas, is headed for nearly eight years in federal prison after being sentenced today to 97 months for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Acting United States Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced the sentence, handed down by District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez, along with a $700 special assessment and a hefty 400 hours of community service. This isn’t just about one woman; it’s a glimpse into the rot that’s taken hold in the Virgin Islands.

Morton wasn’t a street dealer. She was the architect of a 13-member drug smuggling ring that funneled cocaine from St. Thomas to the U.S. mainland between October 2015 and July 2016. The scheme was brazen: Morton allegedly paid off airline employees at the Cyril E. King Airport and recruited female drug couriers to carry the weight. Surveillance footage paints a clear picture – on three separate occasions in June and July 2016, cameras captured Morton and her couriers exchanging vacuum-sealed packages of cocaine in airport restrooms *before* boarding flights. This wasn’t a slip-up; it was calculated risk, and for Morton, the gamble failed.

The operation began to unravel on July 1, 2016, with the arrest of Dellana Magner, 23, of St. Thomas. Magner was caught red-handed, attempting to board an American Airlines flight to Miami with three kilograms of cocaine. Magner quickly flipped, pleading guilty on January 23, 2017, and receiving a five-year sentence plus five years of supervised release on March 16, 2017. She was a cog in Morton’s machine, and now both are paying the price.

But Morton wasn’t working alone. A significant number of co-conspirators are still awaiting sentencing. Vanier Murraine, 34, a native of St. Thomas currently residing in Detroit; Christopher Butler, 30, and Drue Williams, III, 35, both of Twinsburgh, Ohio; and Taheeda George, 37, Roniqua Hart, 24, Kinia Blyden, 23, and Jerrisha Rawlins, 22, all of St. Thomas, have all pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Adding another layer to the conspiracy, Rasheem Morton, 36, Monique David, 40, and Te’Nae George, 23, all of St. Thomas, face sentencing for money laundering conspiracy charges.

The final piece of the puzzle, Kanya Tirado, 38, of St. Thomas, was found guilty by a federal jury of three counts of cocaine conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 8, 2017. The prosecution is clearly aiming to dismantle the entire network, and with Morton locked up for nearly a decade, the pressure is mounting on those still awaiting their fate.

This investigation was a collaborative effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, spanning multiple field offices – Pittsburgh, New York, Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Thomas. Assistant United States Attorney Delia L. Smith skillfully prosecuted the case, bringing down a sophisticated operation and sending a message: move drugs through the Virgin Islands, and you *will* be caught. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as the remaining defendants face justice.