St. Croix, USVI – U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Cynthia Ines Fernandes, 33, of Florida, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson, III to Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute. Fernandes faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Fernandes traveled from Charlotte, NC to St. Croix on a commercial flight on November 6, 2021. In her checked bags, Customs and Border Protection agents discovered 13 individually wrapped, vacuum sealed packages with approximately 11 kilograms of marijuana.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.
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