Rhasheel Charles, 30, of St. Thomas faces a possible prison sentence of from five to 40 years plus fines after pleading guilty Tuesday in federal court to two counts in a cocaine case, according to U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe.
Sharpe reported that Charles entered his guilty pleas to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 1. Charles faces a term of imprisonment of not less than five years up to a maximum of 40 years, a $5 million fine and not less than four years of supervised release, according to Sharpe.
According to the plea agreement filed with the court, Charles attempted to carry 3.55 kilograms of cocaine on board an American Airlines flight destined for Miami, when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection canine alerted on the bag Charles was carrying.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid Tejo-Sprotte.
