Kai James, 37, of St. Croix, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison and six years of supervised release for his role in a drug trafficking gang that smuggled narcotics into and out of the U.S. Virgin Islands, acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced.
James, who pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, was identified as a manager in a wide-reaching operation he led with his brother, Ivan James. District Judge Mark A. Kearney handed down the sentence in U.S. District Court, according to the press release.
The case stems from a long-running investigation that began in 2013, when prison officers at the Golden Grove Correctional Facility found an iPhone belonging to inmate Joh Williams. Messages on the device revealed a narcotics smuggling operation inside the prison. Further wiretaps and investigations exposed a network supplied by Ivan James and facilitated by then-corrections officer Vivian Ford, who smuggled drugs into the facility in food containers, the press release stated.
Evidence presented at trial showed that members of the James gang used secure access at Henry Rohlsen Airport to transport multiple kilograms of cocaine weekly on commercial flights to the mainland United States. Authorities said Kai James personally recruited at least 10 couriers to carry 2–3 kilograms of cocaine per trip to destinations including New York, North Carolina, and Florida, the release stated.
A search of the James family home turned up marijuana, cocaine, cultivation equipment, and more than 1,000 marijuana plants growing in an adjacent field, the release stated.
Ivan James, convicted by a federal jury on multiple charges including drug conspiracy, weapons offenses, and causing death in furtherance of a drug crime, was sentenced to 420 months in prison. Other co-conspirators have also received substantial sentences:
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Joh Williams: 90 months
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Ariel Petersen: 93 months
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Jahkiebo Joseph: 68 months
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Malachi Benjamin: 72 months
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Tillisa Ceaser: 62 months
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Luis Ortiz Jr.: 60 months
“This sentence sends a clear message, and it is credited to the extensive collaboration between federal and local law enforcement partners,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos.
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