Cocaine Traffickers Busted

St. Thomas, USVI- Three men have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a cocaine trafficking ring in the US Virgin Islands.

Miguel Rodriguez, 60, of St. Thomas, and Tomas Miguel Liriano Castillo, 44, and Estanislao de Jesus, 47, both of the Dominican Republic, were arrested Monday on a criminal complaint charging them with one count each of possession with intent to distribute narcotics, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced today.

The complaint alleges that Castillo arrived in the USVI by vessel from Tortola with six kilograms of cocaine. He had made arrangements with de Jesus and Rodriguez to pick him up at Hull Bay. When the boat arrived in Hull Bay, Castillo was seen jumping from the vessel with a backpack while de Jesus and Rodriguez waited for him on shore.

When Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agents approached the men, Castillo attempted to throw the backpack under a tree. The bag was searched and six bricks of a white substance were located inside the backpack. The substance field tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately six kilograms.

It was determined that Castillo and de Jesus are in the United States illegally. Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine carries a sentence of not less than 10 years in prison and up to life.

According to United States Attorney Sharpe, a complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the DEA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.

A detention hearing is set for May 11, 2016 for Rodriguez, and May 12, 2016 for de Jesus and Castillo. A preliminary hearing is set for May 12, 2016 for all three men.

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