ST. CROIX — Wayne Jeffers, 53, from St. Croix, has been sentenced to over five years in prison following his conviction on charges related to cocaine trafficking.

United States Attorney Delia L. Smith confirmed that District Judge Wilma A. Lewis imposed a sentence of 64 months of incarceration on Jeffers. The sentence also includes three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment. Jeffers faced charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Court records detail that on May 11, 2022, Jeffers, while serving as a Virgin Islands Port Authority Officer at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, was involved in smuggling 12 bricks of cocaine. The narcotics were hidden in a suitcase which Jeffers placed into a ladder truck on the airport's ramp. Charles Rawlins, III, a co-defendant and former ramp agent at the airport, was then observed removing the suitcase from the ladder truck and placing it onto a baggage cart intended for loading onto a recently arrived Seaborne/Silver aircraft. On November 16, 2023, Rawlins received a 48-month prison sentence for his role in the conspiracy, along with similar post-release conditions, a $2,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment.

The case was brought to light through the collaborative efforts of Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston led the prosecution.

The operation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, which aims to target and dismantle significant criminal organizations through a comprehensive, multi-agency approach. The OCDETF program focuses on the most severe threats to national security and public safety, facilitating collaboration between various government agencies to effectively combat drug trafficking and organized crime. Further information about the OCDETF's mission and operations can be found on the Department of Justice's official website.