Rafael Martinez, Cocaine Trafficking, Virgin Islands 2024

A massive cocaine trafficking operation was brought to its knees in the Virgin Islands last year, with the sentencing of Rafael Martinez, 31, of the Dominican Republic. Martinez was handed a 70-month prison sentence by Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

On August 30, 2021, a United States Coast Guard Cutter intercepted two go-fast vessels traveling in international waters off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Onboard the vessels were Martinez, Carlos De La Rosa, Elvis Manuel Rodriguez, and Alexis Sanchez-Garcia. As the Coast Guard Cutter approached the vessels, the occupants were observed throwing bales of cocaine into the ocean. From one vessel, the Coast Guard seized 444 kilograms of cocaine wrapped in white burlap sacks but attempts to recover the bales that were thrown overboard from the second vessel were unsuccessful.

The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Martinez’s conviction was the latest in a series of sentences handed down to those involved in the operation. On July 2, 2024, Chief Judge Molloy sentenced De La Rosa, Rodriguez, and Sanchez-Garcia to 70 months incarceration on their cocaine conspiracy convictions.

The exact charges against Martinez were conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the United States Coast Guard and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The case is a prime example of the impact of OCDETF operations on organized crime. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Martinez’s sentencing is a significant blow to the international cocaine trafficking operation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands continues to work to dismantle these types of organizations and bring those responsible to justice.

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