ST. CROIX — Bianca Torres, a 35-year-old resident of St. Croix, has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison following her guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
United States Attorney Delia L. Smith made the announcement today, detailing the penalties handed down by District Judge Wilma Lewis. In addition to her prison term, Torres was fined $1,000 and will be subject to three years of supervised release after completing her sentence.
According to court documents, the charges against Torres stem from an incident on January 23, 2023, when she attempted to board a Spirit Airlines flight at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix. During a routine inspection of her carry-on luggage, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered four bricks of cocaine concealed within frozen seafood. The total weight of the cocaine was approximately four kilograms.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.
This case is part of a broader initiative under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which focuses on identifying, disrupting, and dismantling high-level criminal organizations that pose significant threats to the United States. The OCDETF operates using a collaborative, multi-agency approach driven by intelligence and led by prosecutors.
