U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Thursday ordered alleged gun smuggler Jahmal Rivera, 27, held without bail pending trial after Rivera’s initial appearance before the court that day.
Miller filled out the court’s standard document for declaring the terms of detention and release, checking boxes saying "there is a serious risk that the defendant the defendant will endanger the safety of another person or the community" and that there is "clear and convincing evidence” that there is no “combination of conditions that can be imposed which would reasonably assure the defendants appearance and or safety of another person or the community," and citing "the nature of the charges, the apparent strength of the government’s case, the defendants criminal history and other."
On Wednesday, Miller appointed U.S. Public Defender Gabriel Villega to represent Rivera. No further court appearances have yet been scheduled.
Police say they found Rivera trying to bring firearms into the territory through Cyril E. King Airport on Tuesday. Rivera was arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm as a result of an interagency enforcement operation aimed at curbing the transportation of both unlicensed guns and illegal drugs between the islands, according to Government House.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Rivera around 10 a.m. Tuesday. He arrived at the airport on a Seaborne Airlines flight. According to officials, a .45 caliber handgun was found in his bag.
