St. Thomas Man Arrested at the Cyril E. King Airport for Allegedly Smuggling 23 Kilograms of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute

St. Thomas, USVI – Shahime Ludvig, Jr., 20, of St. Thomas was arrested today on a complaint charging him with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, announced. Ludvig made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller and was detained pending further proceedings.

According to the complaint, Ludvig was attempting to smuggle twenty-three kilograms of cocaine through the Cyril E. King to Atlanta, Georgia on Delta Flight #307. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents discovered that the suitcase Ludvig checked in for the flight contained white, brick-like objects that field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately twenty-three kilograms.

If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, Ludvig faces a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years and not more than life and a fine of $10,000,000.00.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.