St. Croix Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Cocaine With Intent To Distribute

ST. CROIX — Daniel Santiago-Colon, 46, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, pleaded guilty on September 19 in federal court on St. Croix to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.

On November 13, 2015, Santiago-Colon and other co-defendants, who were on a boat, retrieved a load of cocaine mid-sea from another boat. They transported the drugs to St. Croix and offloaded them at a beach called Knight’s Bay. Law enforcement tracked the boat to St. Croix and apprehended three co-defendants on the beach in close proximity to suitcases, containing 87 kilograms of cocaine. Two of the three co-defendants, Gamalier Rohlsen-Arizmendi and Alejandro Marva-Romero have entered guilty pleas. The third co-defendant is awaiting a trial scheduled for October 31, 2016.

Santiago-Colon faces up to life imprisonment for the offense and a fine of up to $10,000,000. A sentencing date has been set for January 18, 2017.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso Andrews, Jr.