Yeral Marrero Reynoso, a 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy for charges of possession with intent to distribute 75 kilograms of cocaine and three firearms.
The events leading to Reynoso's arrest occurred on August 28, 2024. At around 2:30 p.m., Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine (CBP-AMO) agents, along with Border Patrol (BP) agents, noticed two men walking along the beach trail at Haulover Bay, St. John. One of the men carried an assault-style long gun. Shortly thereafter, the men were seen carrying three black duffel bags towards a small parking area where a gray Acura RDX was parked.
Federal agents, assisted by the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), stopped the vehicle shortly after it left the area. Inside were two individuals matching the description of those seen earlier on the trail; Rivera Palmer was identified as one of them. Upon approaching the vehicle, agents spotted two assault-style rifles without serial numbers on the rear passenger floorboard and a Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine on the driver side floorboard. In addition, they discovered three duffle bags containing approximately 75 kilograms of cocaine in brick-like packages.
The investigation was conducted by CBP-AMO, BP, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with support from FBI and VIPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Payne led the prosecution for this case under the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at identifying and dismantling high-level criminal organizations that pose threats to national security through coordinated efforts across multiple agencies.
