ST. CROIX — Kieantia Thomas-Okeke, 38, of Dallas, Texas, pleaded guilty on Monday in District Court to one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert has announced.
This offense carries a possible sentence of incarceration of up to 5 years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of at least 2 years. Sentencing is set for October 23, 2019.
According to court documents, on March 5, 2018, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) canine alerted on Thomas-Okeke after she exited inbound American Airlines flight #2317 from Miami, Florida, at the Henry E. Rohlsen airport in St. Croix. The defendant was then handcuffed and escorted to the designated secondary inspection room.
There CBP officers searched the defendant along with her carry-on suitcase. Inside the carry-on suitcase, a green leafy substance inside plastic wrapped brick shaped packages was discovered along with stacks of cash. The substance field-tested positive for marijuana. The marijuana weighed 9.11 kilograms and the confiscated currency totaled $39,980.
Travel records for the defendant showed that she was traveling from Dallas, TX, with a layover in Miami and had planned to return to Dallas, TX, the next day. When asked about her compensation for traveling to St. Croix with the drugs and cash, the defendant advised that her flight to St. Croix was paid for and she was going to receive $1,500 when she returned to Dallas, TX.
The case was investigated by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. The DEA Southeast Laboratory in Miami analyzed the marijuana. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted the case.
Tags: Kieantia Thomas-Okeke
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