Arizona Man Sentenced for Marijuana in Luggage on STX Flight

Marijuana leaves (Yahoo photo)
Marijuana leaves (Yahoo photo)

Armando Antonio Mena, age 29, of Arizona, was sentenced by District Court Judge Wilma Lewis Wednesday to four years of federal probation, a fine of $3000, special assessment fee of $100, and 100 hours of community service. According to a release from office of the U.S. Attorney for the Virgin Islands, Mena pleaded guilty on February 5 in federal court to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

According to court documents, Armando Antonio Mena traveled to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on May 27, 2020, on a flight that originated in San Francisco, California. On that flight, he transported checked luggage containing twenty-two individually wrapped vacuum sealed bags that contained just under ten kilograms of marijuana, the amount and packaging being consistent with drug distribution. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz.