Two men were arrested early Tuesday morning and charged with attempting to smuggle 174 pounds of cocaine from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas by boat, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.
Wesly Albert Amaro, and Brian Santiago Gonzalez, were charged with possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. They are scheduled to appear in court for detention hearings today.
If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence, and the possibility of life behind bars, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert.
The men were on a boat traveling without lights, and refused to stop for Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine units, which “stopped the vessel utilizing marine disabling fire,” according to an affidavit filed by a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent.
The men were seen jettisoning duffel bags overboard, and agents backtracked and recovered three bags containing 79 bricks of cocaine, according to the affidavit.
According to the news release from Shappert, the cocaine weighed a total of 79 kilograms, or around 174 pounds.
- Contact Suzanne Carlson at 340-714-9122 or email scarlson@dailynews.vi.
