Three St. Thomas Men Arrested For Possession With Intent To Distribute Cocaine

ST. THOMAS — The office of United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced the arrest of three suspects on cocaine charges on Monday.

Reinaldo Morone, 44, and Walid John, 37, both of St. Thomas, made their initial appearance in court on October 21 before District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez on a criminal complaint charging them with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to Mr. Sharpe.

The defendants were released on $10,000 unsecured bonds and to third-party custodians, and were placed on electronic monitoring pending further proceedings, after a detention hearing today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller.

According to the complaint, on October 20, 2016, the men attempted to sell to an individual approximately four kilograms of a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. Possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a sentence of not less than five years in prison and up to a maximum of 40 years.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.

Also in St. Thomas, Rhasheel Charles, 30, made his initial appearance in District Court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being charged in a criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Charles was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending preliminary and detention hearings on October 25, 2016, at 1:30 p.m.

According to the complaint, on October 23, 2016, Charles attempted to carry 3.55 kilograms of cocaine on board an American Airlines flight destined for Miami, Florida, when a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted on the bag Charles was carrying. Possession with the intent to distribute that quantity of cocaine carries a sentence of not less than five years in prison and up to a maximum of 40 years.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.

Mr. Sharpe reminds the public that a complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.