FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS ST. LUCIA MAN OF POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE COCAINE
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Trevor Stephen, 35, of St. Lucia, was found guilty by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute 210 kilograms of cocaine. Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy scheduled Stephen’s sentencing for October 27, 2023.
According to court documents, on November 29, 2021, at approximately 10:15 p.m., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircraft detected a vessel traveling from St. John to St. Thomas without lights onboard. The vessel traveled to Vessup Beach where two individuals onboard the vessel offloaded seven duffle bags to three individuals waiting at the beach, two of whom were identified as Stephens and Russell Robinson. Stephens, Robinson, and an unknown individual loaded the duffle bags into Robinson’s Toyota Tundra truck. After departing Vessup Beach, Robinson drove to a nearby home in Nazareth Bay where the three relocated the duffle bags of cocaine from the bed of the truck to the cabin. The unknown individual remained at the Nazareth Bay property, while Stephens and Robinson drove to Veteran’s Drive where agents attempted to intercept Robinson’s vehicle. Robinson refuse to stop, and agents pursued his vehicle in a high-speed chase that ended on a dead-end road in Hull Bay. The aviation aircraft maintained surveillance of Robinson and Stephens during the chase and ultimately captured footage as they began throwing the duffle bags of cocaine from the truck into the bushes. Agents blocked the exit and took Robinson and Stephens into custody as they approach the roadway. Agents later retrieved seven duffle bags containing 210 kilograms of cocaine from the area where they had been tossed by Robinson and Stephens. Trial testimony established that the seized cocaine had a street value of approximately $2.1 million. Stephens was detained pending sentencing, and Robinson remains in custody pending his trial in this matter.
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 Kyle Payne and Rhonda Williams-Henry. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.