St. Thomas Man Who Mailed Drugs in Candy Wrappers to New York Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

St. Thomas, USVI – Kemo Riley, of St. Thomas, pled guilty yesterday to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. The Honorable Curtis V. Gomez, Chief Judge, District Court of the Virgin Islands, accepted the guilty plea.

In his plea agreement, Riley admitted to mailing a package to an individual in New York containing more than 250 grams of cocaine concealed in candy bar wrappers on May 28, 2019. Riley faces up to twenty years’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Judge Gomez scheduled defendant Riley’s sentencing for June 4, 2020, at 9 a.m.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Blecher and Nathan Brooks.