Dominican Republic Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Conspiracy

ST. CROIX — United States Attorney Delia L. Smith has announced that Augusto Rodriguez-Molina, 37, of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson, III on December 22 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. According to court documents, on January 9, 2022, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine agents detected a vessel with bales of suspected cocaine in plain view on the deck of the vessel. The vessel was traveling on the northeast side of St. Croix heading north towards the British Virgin Islands. Upon further investigation, agents encountered a 32-foot Manta low-profile vessel with twin 300 HP outboard engines located at approximately 19 nautical miles northeast of St. Croix in international waters in an area known by law enforcement for drug trafficking. The vessel was dead in the water and displayed no indicia of nationality, flag nor regist...