St. Thomas, USVI- Rhasheel Charles, 30, of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, made his initial appearance in District Court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller after being charged in a criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced today. Charles was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending preliminary and detention hearings on Oct. 25, 2016, at 1:30 p.m.
According to the complaint, on Oct. 23, 2016, Charles attempted to carry 3.55 kilograms of cocaine on board an American Airlines flight destined for Miami, Florida, when a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted on the bag Charles was carrying. Possession with the intent to distribute that quantity of cocaine carries a sentence of not less than five years in prison and up to a maximum of 40 years.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
United States Attorney Sharpe reminds the public that a complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
