St. Croix Man Sentenced to Cocaine Conspiracy

A 37-year-old St. Croix man has pleaded guilty to a cocaine conspiracy charge.

Edward Saldana, 37, of St. Croix, entered a guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson III to a drug conspiracy charge on April 23, 2024.

According to court documents, Saldana and a co-conspirator, Bianca Torres, attempted to board a Spirit Airlines flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the Henry E Rohlsen Airport on January 23, 2023. Torres’ carry-on bag was inspected, revealing four kilograms of cocaine, while Saldana’s bags also yielded an additional four kilograms of cocaine.

The investigation revealed that Saldana had provided Torres with the cocaine earlier that day in exchange for $3,000.

Torres, who also pleaded guilty to the charge, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2024. Saldana’s sentencing is set for August 22, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case 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.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.