ST. THOMAS — A Puerto Rico boat captain who fled federal agents during a nighttime pursuit near Savanah Island while his passenger threw duffel bags containing approximately 65 kilograms of cocaine into the sea has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison.
Carlos Cruz Resto, 40, received the sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge Robert A. Molloy following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced the sentencing Thursday, October 15. Cruz Resto was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following imprisonment and pay a $100 special assessment.
The sentence stems from a July 21, 2025, maritime interdiction west of St. Thomas. According to federal prosecutors, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations personnel detected a vessel traveling without navigation lights at approximately 3 a.m. The boat was initially observed traveling toward St. Thomas from Culebra, Puerto Rico.
Agents launched a patrol vessel to investigate and subsequently located the unlit boat west of Savanah Island, traveling back toward Culebra. Cruz Resto, identified as the captain, accelerated away from the approaching officers while his passenger threw duffel bags overboard.
The pursuit ended only after federal agents fired warning flares in front of the fleeing vessel. Officers arrested both men and recovered two duffel bags from the surrounding waters. The bags contained 65 packages, which subsequent Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory testing confirmed held approximately 65 kilograms of cocaine.
The Consortium first reported the arrests in July 2025, identifying Cruz Resto as the captain and Jean Carlos Torres Cruz as his passenger. Both were charged with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Following their initial court appearances, Cruz Resto remained in federal custody, while Torres Cruz was released to home detention under a $50,000 unsecured bond with electronic monitoring.
Their cases subsequently took different paths. Cruz Resto pleaded guilty, and an April 30, 2026, order entered by Judge Molloy formally accepted his plea to the drug possession and distribution charge. The court then directed the preparation of a presentence investigation report ahead of sentencing.
Torres Cruz proceeded to trial and was convicted by a federal jury in August 2026 of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. As previously reported by the Consortium, jurors returned the guilty verdict following a two-day trial involving evidence of the maritime pursuit, the discarded duffel bags and laboratory confirmation of the recovered cocaine.
Torres Cruz faces a statutory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. The U.S. Attorney's Office previously said Judge Molloy would schedule his sentencing hearing, but the October 15 announcement concerning Cruz Resto did not provide an update on Torres Cruz's sentencing status.
The investigation was conducted jointly by Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Tate and Criminal Chief Kyle Payne prosecuted the case.
