Sheldon Stuart Isles, 38, of St. Thomas, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller in District Court on Friday and entered a guilty plea to one count charging him with possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
Pursuant to the plea agreement, on April 10 Isles arrived at the Cyril E. King airport in St. Thomas from Miami, Florida. He retrieved his bags from baggage claim and was selected for a secondary inspection.
Customs and Border Patrol Officers searched two of the bags that Isles possessed with luggage tags showing the last name, “Isles.” Inside the two bags, officers recovered 32 vacuum-sealed plastic bags containing approximately 15 kilograms of marijuana, court records show.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.