A St. Croix man was sentenced to eight and half years in prison plus five years supervised release for cocaine possession, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced Friday.
Kareme Holst, 46, a St. Croix native and resident of Colorado, was sentenced by District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis to 102 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release and a fine of $1,000, on his conviction of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Holst pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2022, according to the press release.
According to court documents, on Oct. 18, 2021, Holst was a ticketed passenger on an American Airlines flight from St. Croix to Miami, FL. During his preboarding inspection at the Henry Rohlsen Airport, Customs and Border Patrol officers discovered approximately three kilograms of cocaine hidden in jars of coconut packed in Holst’s luggage. Officers also found bags of cocaine concealed in the pockets of clothing packed in Holst’s suitcase. When interviewed, Holst admitted that the luggage belonged to him and that he packed each bag.
