Rhasheel Charles, a 30-year-old St. Thomas resident, was sentenced Thursday to 60 months in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, acting U.S. Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced.
District Judge Curtis V. Gomez also ordered Charles to pay a $100 special assessment and complete 400 hours of community service.
Charles pleaded guilty Jan. 31 to drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to the plea agreement filed with the court, Charles was attempting to carry 3.55 kilograms of cocaine in a bag onboard an American Airlines flight to Miami, Florida, when a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted to the drugs in the bag.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo- Sprotte.