Federal and local law enforcement authorities were tight-lipped about the Saturday evening arrest of a member of Gov. Kenneth Mapp’s security detail. Virgin Islands Port Authority Officer Neal Chesterfield, who is assigned to the Government House Executive Security Unit, was nabbed by federal authorities at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas as he prepared to board a commercial flight for the U.S. mainland.
According to an article in the Sunday-Monday edition of the St. Croix Avis, Chesterfield was found with more than 20 kilos of cocaine in his possession and in excess of $15,000 cash when he was detained.
It was unclear Saturday where on the U.S. mainland Chesterfield was headed. Social media buzzed with suggestions that Chesterfield claimed to be on a work assignment at the time of the arrest.
The St. Thomas based law enforcement officer was also a member of the Executive Security Unit in the de Jongh administration, assigned then to the lieutenant governor. His current assignment is as security officer and driver for Government House Special Assistant Juel Molloy.
The Avis quoted a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official who confirmed the arrest and said the individual arrested was found with drugs and an excess amount of money. According to the published report, both Government House Communications Director Cherie Munchez and Police Commissioner Delroy Richards declined comment on the arrest.
