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HomeNewsPolice & CourtsSTX District Court: Two Sentenced for Cocaine and One for Immigration

STX District Court: Two Sentenced for Cocaine and One for Immigration

Two men were sentenced Thursday in St. Croix District Court for distribution of crack cocaine and, in a separate case, another man was sentenced for illegally entering the country, according to U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert.

Two Sentenced in Crack Cocaine Case
Nolly King, a 36-year-old St. Croix resident, was sentenced Thursday for distribution of crack cocaine, and Thaddeus Hendricks, 39, also of St. Croix, was sentenced for distribution of cocaine, Shappert said.

According to court documents, both men were associates of Robert Klyvert, who is pending sentencing in federal court.

Visiting Judge Anne E. Thompson sentenced King to 24 months and two years of supervised release, plus a fine of $500 and a $100 special assessment.

Hendricks was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and two years of supervised release. Thompson also ordered him to pay a fine of $500 and a $100 special assessment.

On Jan. 29, King pleaded guilty to distribution of crack cocaine. According to the plea agreement filed in court, on Dec. 31, 2016, a confidential source made arrangements with King to pick up crack cocaine in Orlando, Florida, that King was holding for Robert Klyvert, aka “Family.” Klyvert was subsequently charged, has entered a guilty plea, and is pending sentencing in federal court.

At approximately 9:45 a.m., the source called King and informed him that the source was ready. King instructed the CS to wait 20 to 25 minutes. At approximately 10 a.m., King called and told the CS to come to his house. When the source pulled up, King exited the residence, greeted the source and engaged in conversation. After a few minutes, King re-entered the house and came back holding a white plastic bag containing crack cocaine. The source asked King what was wrong with the crack cocaine. King stated that people did not like the color and showed the source a sample.

The source took the crack cocaine and left the scene. Subsequent lab tests confirmed that the substance that the source obtained from King was indeed crack cocaine and cocaine powder, and the net weight was 884.18 grams.

On Jan. 29, Hendricks pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine. According to the plea agreement filed in federal court, on Jan. 15, 2017, Hendricks traveled by plane from St. Croix to St. Thomas, carrying a black backpack that contained cocaine intended for Robert Klyvert, aka “Family.” Hendricks asked the source to take him to the Palms Court Hotel so that Hendricks could get a room while he waited for his flight back to St. Croix. While at the hotel, the source gave Hendricks $22,000 and told him it was for the cocaine Hendricks had picked up in Orlando. Hendricks removed the cocaine from the backpack and placed it on the floor of the front passenger seat where he was sitting. The confidential source inspected the cocaine and the Hendricks entered the hotel. Later that day, Hendricks arrived at the Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix and got into a car driven by Robert Klyvert. Subsequent lab tests confirmed that the backpack Hendricks showed to the confidential source contained cocaine with a net weight of 971.8 grams.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rhonda Williams-Henry and Melissa Ortiz.

Mexican National Sentenced for Reentry of Removed Alien
Manuel Alberto Fuentes-Acosta, 46, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced Thursday for reentry of removed alien.

Visiting Judge Thompson sentenced Fuentes-Acosta to time served and a $100 special assessment. The defendant had been detained from November 2018.

Fuentes-Acosta pleaded guilty Feb. 4. According to the plea agreement filed in court on Nov. 9, 2018, while seeking to board the American Airline flight, the defendant presented himself to Customs and Border Patrol’s primary inspection at the Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix. The defendant advised the primary officer that he was illegally in the United States. He was referred to secondary inspection where he repeated to the secondary officer that he was in the United States illegally and did not have a visa. The defendant was arrested and told Homeland Security agents that he entered the United States in 1996 illegally and was deported in 2017 from Laredo, Texas. The defendant stated that he remained in Mexico and subsequently returned to the United States without inspection. He further stated he paid a smuggler $2,000 to $3,000 to transport him into the United States by crossing the river from Mexico to Del Rio, Texas, in April 2018.

The investigation revealed the defendant had been deported on June 1, 2017, from Laredo to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and that he did not obtain consent from the Attorney General to re-enter the United States.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.

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