ST. CROIX — A Christiansted man previously sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking has been arrested on a new drug charge after Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched his residence Wednesday and reportedly discovered bags of suspected cocaine weighing a combined 407 grams, along with equipment bearing white powdery residue.
Roosevelt Dowling, who received a 78-month prison sentence and five years of supervised release following his earlier conviction, was arrested October 14 and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
According to investigators, DEA agents executed a search warrant at Dowling's residence Wednesday afternoon and discovered a black tube beneath an end table in the living room. Inside were several transparent, knotted plastic bags containing what agents described as a “powdery, chunky white substance.”
The bags weighed a combined 407 grams, and a field test conducted on the contents of one bag returned a positive result for cocaine, agents reported.
A search of the kitchen reportedly uncovered a scale, a microwave and several heat-resistant glass containers, each bearing white powdery residue. Investigators also discovered a blender containing plastic bags with material that tested positive for cocaine during a field examination.
Outside the residence, agents identified approximately 10 marijuana plants growing in the yard. They also recovered a bag containing several smaller plastic bags filled with substances believed to be prescription medication.
Dowling's latest arrest follows a previous federal drug prosecution that resulted in a lengthy prison sentence.
In April 2019, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine. The conviction stemmed from a January 2017 search of his St. Croix residence and vehicle, during which investigators seized approximately 31 grams of crack cocaine, 759 grams of powder cocaine, 19 marijuana plants, two digital scales and $6,690 in cash.
On September 18, 2019, then-Chief Judge Wilma Lewis sentenced Dowling to 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
The 2017 investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
Following Wednesday's arrest, Mr. Dowling appeared Thursday, October 15, before Chief Judge Robert Molloy in the District Court of the Virgin Islands to answer the new charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
No additional hearings had been scheduled on the publicly available court docket as of press time.
