California Woman Arrested at King Airport on Drug Charges

 

Joeva Elizabeth Williams of Sacramento, California, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on Monday following her arrest on Saturday for possession with intent to distribute  marijuana, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith announced. 

Williams was ordered released upon posting a $10,000 unsecured bond, Smith said in a press release announcing the arrest.

According to court documents, Williams arrived at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas on an inbound flight that originated in Houston, Texas, on Friday. While conducting an inbound inspection of United Airlines flight #1908, a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in two suitcases. Williams later retrieved both suitcases from the  luggage carousel and was later escorted by CBP officers to a secondary inspection, the press release stated.

After conducting a search of Williams’ suitcases in secondary inspection, CBP officers discovered 37 vacuum-sealed packages containing a green, leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana, the release stated. The total weight of the packages was approximately 20.44 kilograms, or about 45 pounds, it said.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. The task force identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States  by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks, according to the press release. 

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Smith reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.