Edward Saldana, 37, of St. Croix, entered a guilty plea on April 23, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile Henderson III to a drug conspiracy charge, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Monday.
According to court documents, on January 23, 2023, Homeland Security Investigations received a phone call from an officer of Customs and Border Protection at the Henry E Rohlsen Airport on St, Croix. The officer relayed that two travelers were detained during the inspection process on suspicion of drug smuggling. Travelers Edward Saldana and Bianca Torres had presented themselves for inspection at the HERA attempting to board a Spirit Airlines flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. During inspection of Torres’ carry-on bag, X-rays revealed an anomaly. Further inspection revealed four kilograms of cocaine. Saldana’s bags were also inspected, and an additional four kilograms of cocaine were recovered. The investigation also revealed that Saldana had provided Torres with the cocaine earlier that day. Torres was to be paid $3,000 by Saldana for smuggling the cocaine to Florida.
Torres pleaded guilty on Feb. 12. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 12 and Saldana’s is scheduled for Aug. 22.
