A St. Lucian man found in possession of 210 kilograms of cocaine is expected to receive sentencing on October 27, said United States Attorney Delia L. Smith.
Officers detected a vessel traveling from St. John to St. Thomas without lights on November 29, 2021. Two individuals onboard the vessel offloaded seven duffle bags to three individuals waiting at Vessup Beach. Trevor Stephen, 35, of St. Lucia, and Russell Robinson were two of the people identified, according to court documents.
Stephens, Robinson, and an unknown individual loaded the duffle bags into Robinson’s truck. After departing Vessup Beach, Robinson drove to a nearby home in Nazareth Bay where the three relocated the bags of cocaine from the truck to the cabin. The unknown person remained at the property, said police.
Police attempted to intercept Stephens and Robinson as they drove, however, Robinson refuse to stop, and a high-speed chase began. An aviation aircraft maintained surveillance during the chase and captured footage of the bags of cocaine being thrown from the truck into the bushes, according to police report.
The chase ended on a dead-end road, officers were able to block the exit and took Robinson and Stephens into custody. Police later retrieved the seven bags of 210 kilograms of cocaine from the area, according to press release.
Trial testimony established that the seized cocaine had a street value of $2.1 million. Stephens was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute and was detained pending sentencing. Robinson remains in custody pending his trial in this matter, said Smith.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys.
