NEW JERSEY WOMAN CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING NARCOTICS THROUGH ROHLSEN AIRPORT

St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Ceestra Burgess, 23, of Irvington, New Jersey was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute narcotics and possession with intent to distribute narcotics.

According to court documents, on September 27, 2024, Burgess arrived in St. Croix on a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale. During an inspection of Spirit Airlines luggage, a Customs and Border Protection canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in Burgess’ checked bag. The luggage was then placed on the baggage claim carousel and later removed by Burgess. A search of Burgess’ luggage revealed several vacuum sealed packages wrapped in Christmas paper which contained approximately 12 kilograms of marijuana. If convicted, Burgess faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being investigated by Custom and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston. This effort is 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.

United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.