ST. THOMAS – In a dramatic takedown by federal agents, Brian Santiago Gonzalez, 25, of Puerto Rico, faced justice for his role in smuggling cocaine into the United States Virgin Islands. On July 1, 2025, Gonzalez was sentenced to 137 months’ imprisonment and 4 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, Gonzalez and his co-defendant Wesly Albert Amaro were nabbed by the United States Coast Guard on March 29, 2022. Their vessel was detected without navigation lights and traveling at high speeds near Savanah Island, west of St. Thomas, USVI. As the chase ensued, Gonzalez and Amaro discarded bags of cocaine into the sea. After a pursuit that led to disabling their engine, agents recovered three duffel bags containing 79 kilograms of the illegal substance.
Wesly Albert Amaro was also sentenced on August 18, 2022, for his part in the smuggling operation, receiving 108 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release.
The investigation into this cocaine shipment was a collaborative effort involving the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine (AMO), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne led the prosecution.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level criminal organizations across the United States. For more information on OCDETF, visit here.
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Key Facts
- State: Virgin Islands
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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