St. Thomas, VI – In a stunning revelation from the federal courts, Matthew Hazel, 31, of St. Thomas, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and an additional 60 months for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, both sentences to run concurrently. The court also ordered Hazel to pay a $200 special assessment.
Hazel’s downfall began on August 18, 2022, when he pleaded guilty in relation to a drug deal at the Havensight Mall. Court documents revealed that on October 13, 2021, DEA Confidential Source arranged to purchase 25 kilograms of cocaine for $312,000.
The transaction was to take place at the mall, where Hazel arrived driving a black G35 Infiniti sedan without license plates. As agents and the CS approached, Hazel exited his vehicle and examined its trunk with the CS. The DEA then confirmed the presence of suspected cocaine in the car, leading to Hazel’s arrest along with other men.
Upon search, agents recovered 25 brick-like packages of cocaine and a loaded semi-automatic handgun from the G35 Infiniti’s driver’s seat. The investigation into this case was a joint effort by the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, Air Marine Operations, ATF, and the Virgin Islands Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorneys Melissa Ortiz and Meredith Edwards leading the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which employs a multi-agency approach to target high-level drug traffickers and criminal networks. OCDETF’s efforts aim to dismantle the structures that threaten the United States through intelligence-driven operations.
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Key Facts
- State: Virgin Islands
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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