On Friday, Feb. 11, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Idesha Patricia Sterrod, age 32, was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release for an attempt to smuggle 76 kilograms of marijuana through the Cyril E. King Airport.
According to court documents, on Aug. 5, 2020, Sterrod had traveled with several suitcases filled with marijuana from California to the Cyril E. King Airport. At the time, Sterrod was traveling with three minor females, ages 12, 14, and 15, who had no relation to her.
While Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were conducting an inspection of the checked luggage, a CBP canine became alert to the scent of a controlled substance in one of the suitcases.
Sterrod had been observed retrieving the suitcases that contained the marijuana from the baggage claim. Each of the three minor females also had a checked bag tagged with their name. Each of their bags also contained marijuana.
Sterrod previously pled guilty in this case on May 17, 2021, to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
This case was investigated by Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security Investigations, and Virgin Islands Police Department.
This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at
https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.