Federal Judge Dismisses $5 Million Lawsuit Over 36-Day Coast Guard Detention After Cocaine Interdiction Near St. Thomas

ST. THOMAS — A federal judge has dismissed a $5 million lawsuit brought by Jerome Nibbs over the 36 days he spent detained aboard U.S. Coast Guard cutters after a suspected cocaine-smuggling vessel was intercepted near St. Thomas in June 2022. U.S. District Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán granted summary judgment to the federal government, acknowledging what she described as the “extraordinary discomfort” Nibbs endured but concluding that maritime law did not allow him to recover damages for emotional distress under the circumstances. The case was dismissed with prejudice. The episode began June 16, 2022, when Coast Guard personnel intercepted a vessel about 25 nautical miles from St. Thomas after observing its occupants jettison approximately 30 packages. Three packages were recovered and contained about 90 kilograms of cocaine. Separate criminal proceedings estimated that the original load could have approached 900 kilograms. Nibbs and two other men were detained while U.S. authori...