Arizona Man Sentenced to 4 Years’ Probation, Community Service, and Fine for Smuggling Marijuana in Luggage on Flight from San Francisco to St. Croix

St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Armando Antonio Mena, age 29, of Arizona, was sentenced by District Court Judge Wilma Lewis today to four years of federal probation, a fine of $3000, special assessment fee of $100, and 100 hours of community service. He had pleaded guilty on February 5, 2021 in federal court to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

According to court documents, Armando Antonio Mena traveled to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on May 27, 2020, on a flight that originated in San Francisco, California. On that flight, he transported checked luggage containing twenty-two individually wrapped vacuum sealed bags that contained just under ten kilograms of marijuana, the amount and packaging being consistent with drug distribution.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.