St. Thomas, USVI - On Wednesday, June 15, 2016, Bert Donadelle, Jr., 26, of Georgia, pleaded guilty in District Court on St. Thomas to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
According to the plea agreement filed with the court, on April 3, 2016, at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) K-9 detected narcotics in a checked bag belonging to Donadelle, who had arrived on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta. CBP officers examined the contents of the bag, resealed it, and placed it on the carousel for retrieval. Donadelle retrieved the bag, and a second checked bag bearing his name, from the baggage claim area. CBP officers seized and field-tested a total of approximately 8.5 kilograms or more of marijuana from Donadelle’s bags.
District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez permitted Donadelle to remain on release pending his Nov. 3, 2016, sentencing date. Donadelle faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kim L. Chisholm.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
