Jahvar Looby, a 31-year-old resident of St. Thomas, appeared before Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon, Jr. on Monday in U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According to court documents, on Feb. 11 Looby and three other co-conspirators flew into the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix on American Airlines flight number 2003 from Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon arrival of the group, Customs and Border Protection officers selected several pieces of luggage for physical inspection. The CBP officers observed anomalies while the luggage was examined by an X-ray machine.
A subsequent search revealed several clear, vacuum sealed bundles containing a green, leafy substance, which later field-tested positive for marijuana, officials said. In total, approximately 6.33 kilograms of suspected marijuana was seized from Looby and his co- conspirators.
Looby is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 29 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Huston is prosecuting the case.
