Shahime Ludvig, Jr., 20, of St. Thomas, and two women from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Ngoc Nguyen, 21, and Fendi Brooks – were arrested Tuesday and were charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the territory and into the U.S. mainland, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, announced.
Shahine Ludvig
Ludvig made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the complaint, Ludvig was attempting to smuggle 23 kilograms of cocaine through the Cyril E. King to Atlanta, Georgia, on a Delta Airlines flight. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents discovered that the suitcase Ludvig checked in for the flight contained white, brick-like objects that field-tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 23 kilograms, Shappert’s news release said.
If convicted of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, Ludvig faces a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine of $10,000,000.
Ngoc Nguyen and Fendi Brooks
Ngoc Nguyen, 21, and Fendi Brooks, 25, both from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were arrested Tuesday on a complaint charging them with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 13 kilograms of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, Shappert, announced in a separate news release.
Nguyen and Brooks made their initial appearance before Miller and were detained pending further proceedings.
According to the complaint, Nguyen and Brooks were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers at the Cyril E. King Airport after they discovered that Nguyen and Brooks were attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine through the airport to the U.S. mainland in their checked luggage. The white powdery substance discovered in the suitcase, field- tested positive for cocaine and weighed approximately 13 kilograms, Shappert said.
If convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, Nguyen and Brooks each face a term of imprisonment of not less than ten years and not more than life and a fine of $10,000,000 on each count.
Both cases are being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigrid M. Tejo-Sprotte.
