Crime

Federal Officers Arrest Atlanta Man Attempting To Smuggle Marijuana To Territory

ST. THOMAS -- Bert Donadelle, Jr., 25, made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being charged in a complaint with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Mr. Donadelle was released on an unsecured $10,000 bond and to the third-party custody of his mother pending further proceedings. According to the complaint, on Sunday, April 3, 2016, at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (C.B.P.) K-9 detected narcotics in a checked bag belonging to Mr. Donadelle, who had arrived on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta. C.B.P. officers examined the contents of the bag, resealed it, and placed it on the carousel for retrieval. Mr. Donadelle retrieved the bag, and a second checked bag bearing his name, from the baggage claim area. C.B.P. officers seized and field tested a total of approximately eight kilograms of marijuana from Mr. Donadelle’s bags. Under federal la...