Ery Rivera Palmer, a 39-year-old Dominican national, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for drug trafficking offenses. Acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced that Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy handed down the sentence for possession with intent to distribute 75 kilograms of cocaine and three firearms.
Court documents reveal that on August 28, 2024, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine agents, alongside Border Patrol agents, observed two men walking towards Haulover Bay in St. John. One man was carrying an assault-style long gun. The men were later seen with three black duffel bags moving towards a parking area where a gray Acura RDX was parked. Federal agents, aided by the Virgin Islands Police Department, located and stopped the vehicle.
Rivera Palmer was identified as one of the two occupants matching the description of the men seen earlier. Inside the vehicle, federal agents found two assault-style rifles on the rear passenger floorboard and a Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine on the driver side floorboard. The rifles lacked serial numbers. In addition to these weapons, three duffle bags containing approximately 75 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from the rear of the vehicle.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including CBP-AMO, Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from FBI and VIPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Payne prosecuted the case.
This operation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a coordinated multi-agency approach.
