St. Thomas, USVI- District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced Hector Mejia-Patino, 26, of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on Oct. 23, 2014, to 67 months of incarceration, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special monetary assessment announced United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Vito Guarino.
According to the plea agreement, from June 2013 thru September 2013, Mejia-Patino participated in several telephone conversations and exchanged text messages with an undercover Task Force Officer (“UC") assigned to the DEA in order to conduct a transaction involving multiple kilograms of cocaine. During one of those conversations, Mejia-Patino agreed to introduce the UC to his co-conspirator to facilitate the drug transaction because Mejia-Patino was out of the territory at the time. The UC traveled to St. Thomas and met with Mejia-Patino's co-conspirators at the Crown Bay Marina. Before the drug transaction was completed, the co-conspirators were arrested for possessing 11 kilograms of cocaine. On Jan. 10, 2014, Mejia-Patino was arrested for his role in this offense. On April 3, 2014, Mejia-Patino pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Sharpe commended the efforts of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ishmael A. Meyers, Jr.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
