Latest mugshot of Shakoi Mactavious . Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. JOHN — After Shakoi Mactavious was arrested in St. John on Wednesday for injuring a man during a physical altercation, a district court judge ordered that a pending federal cocaine trafficking case against him be unsealed.
Law enforcement officials allege that Mactavious is part of “a local group known to distribute narcotics in the Cruz Bay area of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.” In November last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virgin Islands Police Department launched a joint operation to bring members of the group to justice.
An undercover agent was given a recording device and issued $200 in marked currency and on November 22, while under covert surveillance by other agents, reportedly purchased two baggies of what appeared to be cocaine from Mactavious, weighing a total of 31 grams. Forensic testing by a DEA laboratory determined that the substance was indeed cocaine.
In April, when charging documents were filed in court, prosecutors asked U.S. Magistrate Alan Teague to seal the case “due to the sensitive nature of the pending criminal investigation and the need to maintain secrecy of any pending charges.” The judge agreed.
On Thursday, after Mactavious was brought before him on a writ of habeas corpus, Judge Teague ordered that the matter be unsealed, “given that the United States has executed the arrest warrant and Mactavious is currently in custody.”
A detention hearing in the matter has been set for September 2nd, with prosecutors asking that Mactavious be held in pre-trial custody. They argue that the potential of a lengthy sentence following conviction justifies his continued detention ahead of trial.
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