United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced that Emmanuel Rodriguez-Rodriguez, a 33-year-old from Puerto Rico, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The plea was entered before United States Magistrate G. Alan Teague. Rodriguez-Rodriguez was involved in a December 11, 2021, cocaine smuggling operation between St. Thomas and Culebra, Puerto Rico.
Alongside Rodriguez-Rodriguez, several others were indicted on charges related to drug trafficking conspiracy. These include Jose Torres-Russi, Ben Carrasquillosanto, Jose Martes-Gonzalez, Wilfredo Vazquez-Lopez, Jonathan Fernandez Montesino, Esteban Borrome Diaz, Smarling Villilo De Los Santo, and Guillermo Morales. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment.
Court records reveal that on December 11, 2021, officers from Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations observed four jet skis traveling from Culebra towards Mermaid’s Chair Beach at Botany Bay in St. Thomas. At the beach, duffle bags were loaded onto the jet skis before they departed back toward Culebra. A red Jeep Wrangler was noted as the only vehicle present during this transaction.
Pursuing the jet skis towards Culebra led officers to discover one abandoned by its operator who fled on foot but left behind a duffle bag containing 26 kilograms of cocaine. Jet ski operators Torres-Russi, Carrasquillosanto and Martes-Gonzalez were later apprehended. Federal agents arrested the remaining defendants as their vehicle attempted to leave Botany Bay's gated community in St. Thomas. During these arrests, agents found two Glock pistols in the vehicle.
The case is under investigation by Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations along with Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
Further information about OCDETF can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.