USVI Ports Officer charged with intent to distribute cocaine
St Croix, USVI - A V.I. Port Authority officer allegedly admitted to federal investigators that he agreed to transport a bag containing drugs through the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport because his compensation for doing so would be $50,000.
VIPA Officer Wayne Jeffers was charged on Thursday with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on May 11 discovered a black suitcase whose contents tested positive for cocaine. Jeffers told federal investigators that while he did not know the exact contents of the suitcase, he knew it contained drugs.
According to court documents, the discovery was made when a CBP officer at 5:50 a.m. on May 11 observed a tarpaulin on the driver's side floor of a ladder truck on the ramp side of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.
The officer noticed that the tarp's placement was unusual and out of place on the truck, and upon further examination the CBP officer noticed that the tarp was covering a black suitcase. The officer opened the suitcase and immediately saw several brick-like objects. The suitcase was eventually seized and the brick-like objects tested positive for approximately 12.6 kilograms of cocaine.
Homeland Security Investigation and CBP agents reviewed surveillance video in an effort to determine how the black suitcase got into the ladder truck. The surveillance video revealed that at approximately 1:15 a.m. on May 11, a VIPA vehicle approached the area of the ladder truck without any lights.
The VIPA vehicle remained in the area for approximately two minutes before reversing back, again without lights, according to the complaint.
A review of the security log at the entry gate into the ramp area of the airport revealed that Jeffers was signed in at approximately 1:10 a.m. and signed out at 1:20 a.m. According to court documents, the log also revealed that Jeffers was the only one working at the time.
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