St. Croix Man Sentenced to 60 months on Causing Attempted Possession to Distribute Fentanyl

St. Thomas, USVI –U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that Mario Felix, 36, of St. Croix, was sentenced on September 1, 2026 by District Judge Mark A. Kearney to 60 months of imprisonment for causing attempted possession with intent to distribute, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. He will receive credit for the period of time he was detained.

According to court documents, on December 31, 2022, a package was randomly selected for inspection during inbound examination of USPS mail. The box was opened and a book containing several plastic bags containing a total of 800 blue pills was found. The pills tested positive for fentanyl. A Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory analysis confirmed that the pills contained 88.67 grams of fentanyl. The package was seized and sent to USPS Forensic Laboratory Services for fingerprint analysis. The defendant’s fingerprints were found on the plastic bag containing the book with the fentanyl.

The investigation revealed text messages between the defendant and an individual, where the defendant asked for their mailing address and last name on December 12, 2022. When asked what he was sending, the defendant sent a picture of the book containing the fentanyl pills, stating that there was something inside the book. He told the individual that he was going to give the individual $800 once the individual received the package. On December 17, 2022, he told the individual that he did not have anyone to mail the box for him. On December 27, 2022, the defendant texted the individual that the package had been mailed, but he could only pay the individual $700 because he had to pay another person to deal with the package. Later that day, the defendant informed the individual that the package had been mailed and sent a picture of the postal receipt, which included the tracking number. On December 30th, the defendant told the individual that they could check the post office that day for the package. When the individual went to the post office, they did not receive the package after waiting for a period of time. The individual told the defendant that the post office told them they had to look for the package. The individual then decided to leave the post office without the package. On December 31st, the individual told the defendant that they were still waiting for a call and that the post office closed at 12:00 that day. They told the defendant that when they called the post office, they were told that the package had not yet been found. On January 2, 2023, the individual told the defendant they tried calling the Post Office, but the call was unanswered. 

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.