Puerto rican man sentenced to 10 years for trafficking 25 kilos of cocaine by jet ski

ST. THOMAS, USVI – A Puerto Rican man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for his role in a 25-kilogram cocaine trafficking operation that used jet skis to move drugs between Culebra and St. Thomas.

Emanuel Rodriguez Rodriguez, 34, was sentenced Tuesday to 121 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy.

Court records show that on December 11, 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) air patrol spotted four jet skis leaving Culebra, Puerto Rico, around 9:00 a.m., heading toward the west side of St. Thomas. Each was operated by a single rider. The skis were observed landing at Mermaid’s Chair beach, where four individuals were waiting onshore.

AMO agents watched as duffle bags were loaded onto the jet skis before they quickly departed back toward Culebra. A red Jeep Wrangler was the only vehicle observed parked above the beach during the exchange.

Law enforcement vessels gave chase and intercepted three of the jet skis. One operator beached his craft in Culebra and fled on foot, leaving behind a duffle bag that contained 26 packages of cocaine.

Agents with the DEA, CBP, and Homeland Security Investigations responded to the Botany Bay Preserve community in St. Thomas to investigate the red Jeep. The vehicle was stopped as it approached the community’s exit gate, and six individuals, including Rodriguez Rodriguez, were detained. Officers recovered two Glock pistols—one visible in the driver’s seat pocket and another without a serial number in the center console.

Multiple federal and local agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virgin Islands Police Department.

A morning jet ski run from Puerto Rico ended in a federal takedown and 25 kilos of cocaine recovered from the sand.

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