Grenadian Man Sentenced for Role in Cocaine Trafficking Operation

ST. CROIX — A Grenadian man has been sentenced for his role in an international drug trafficking conspiracy intercepted in the Caribbean Sea. Rodney Dennis de Roche, 39, will serve 37 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and must pay a $100 special assessment. The sentence, issued by District Judge Wilma A. Lewis, follows de Roche’s guilty plea to conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute while aboard a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction. According to court documents, the charges stem from an incident on November 14, 2023, when the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Diligence was patrolling international waters in the Eastern Caribbean Sea. Approximately 116 nautical miles west of Fort-de-France, Martinique, officers intercepted the motor vessel Jackie Boy in a region notorious for drug trafficking. The vessel displayed no indicia of nationality and ignored commands to stop. As the Coast Guard approached, the vessel’s occupants—including de Roc...