Michael Antony Nelson-Gaet, Cocaine Possession, Virgin Islands 2022

A 34-year-old Nicaraguan national has pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 550 kilograms of cocaine in the US Virgin Islands.

Michael Antony Nelson-Gaet pleaded guilty on an unspecified date before Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson, III, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

According to court documents, on March 5, 2022, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Legare encountered a go-fast vessel located 140 nautical miles southwest of Isla de Malpelo, Columbia. The go-fast vessel, known as the La Bendecida Leo, was traveling at a high rate of speed with bales and fuel barrels visible on its deck. The vessel had no registration, but the occupants claimed Nicaraguan nationality for the vessel. Nicaragua could neither confirm nor deny nationality of the vessel. The vessel was therefore subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

The Coast Guard boarding team after members observed the occupants throwing the bales overboard. Approximately 550.6 kilograms of cocaine and 136 pounds of marijuana were recovered from the ocean.

Nelson-Gaet faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Sentencing for Nelson-Gaet is set for June 21, 2023. The United States Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, and Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating this case, and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston is prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.

Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vi/pr/nicaraguan-national-pleads-guilty-possessionwith-intent-distribute-550-kilograms-cocaine