Police were out in force on St. Thomas Wednesday, confiscating 82 dime bags of marijuana, crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia near Garden Street, and later arresting a man in possession of a firearm and 22 dime bags of marijuana.
The V.I. Police Department reported that while conducting stepped up patrols at 11 a.m. on Garden Street, officers from the Special Operations Bureau saw a group of men near the laundromat, who walked away when they saw the officers.
The officers reported that they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and searched the area, discovering 82 dime bags of marijuana, two scales and crack cocaine near an abandoned building.
At about 2:28 p.m., officers arrested 24-year-old Delron Francis of Estate Nadir and charged him with possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession with intent to distribute marijauna, and failure to register ammunition.
According to police, officers patrolling Estate Frydenhoj near the ball field saw a suspect – later identified as Francis – running with a firearm in his hand. He was ordered by officers to stop and drop the .9-mm firearm. Officers also found a bag containing 22 dime bags of marijuana, a fully loaded magazine, and a scale in his possession.
Francis is not licensed to carry a firearm in the Virgin Islands. Bail was set at $45,000 and he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending further court action.