ST. CROIX MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DRUG CONSPIRACY

St. Croix, USVI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that on April 23, 2024, Edward Saldana, 37, of St. Croix, entered a guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson III to a drug conspiracy charge.

According to court documents, on January 23, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received a phone call from an officer of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Henry E Rohlsen Airport (HERA) on St, Croix. The officer relayed that two travelers were detained during the inspection process on suspicion of drug smuggling. Travelers Edward Saldana and Bianca Torres had presented themselves for inspection at the HERA attempting to board a Spirit Airlines flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. During inspection of Torres’ carry-on bag, X-rays revealed an anomaly. Further inspection revealed four kilograms of cocaine. Saldana’s bags were also inspected, and an additional four kilograms of cocaine were recovered. The investigation also revealed that Saldana had provided Torres with the cocaine earlier that day. Torres was to be paid $3,000 by Saldana for smuggling the cocaine to Florida.

Torres pleaded guilty on February 12, 2024. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2024. Saldana’s sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case 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.

This case was investigated by HSI and CBP. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.