Crime

Four Men Arrested for Smuggling and Concealing $1.28 Million Following Apprehension Near Stumpy Beach on St. Thomas

ST. THOMAS — United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced Wednesday that charges were filed against four men for smuggling and concealing approximately $1.28 million dollars. Geraldo Alverio Morales, Jesus Javier Lebron Pinto, and Alcibiades Flis Batista were arrested Wednesday evening, April 7, and made their initial appearances in federal court on April 8, 2021. Joshua Laboy Lozada was arrested on April 8, 2021 and made his initial appearance on April 9, 2021. The detention hearings for Alcibiades Flis Batista and Joshua Laboy Lozada were held April 13, 2021. Flis Batista was ordered detained. Laboy Lozada was released on bail on home detention and electronic monitoring. Alverio Morales and Lebron Pinto’s detention hearings are scheduled for Friday, April 16, 2021. According to court documents, on April 7, 2021 at approximately 5:00 p.m., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine officers were conducting border security patrols in the Stumpy Beach area, on the...