Undercover Sting Unveils Cocaine Trafficking Plot Between Tortola and St. Thomas

Unsealed case details undercover operation leading to the arrest of Santos Jiminez-Caraballo

ST. THOMAS — A recently unsealed case in the District Court of the Virgin Islands reveals a man on trial for participating in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands into St. Thomas.

According to the affidavit from law enforcement that accompanied the criminal complaint, in November 2021 an undercover agent began having telephone conversations with two people, posing as a drug trafficker “interested in purchasing multi-kilograms of cocaine.” One of the individuals, “Santiago”, lived in Tortola, told the undercover agent that he would coordinate the deal with his friend, who lived on St. Thomas.‌

Over a series of telephone calls and WhatsApp messages, the scheme took shape. Authorities allege that Santiago, Rata and the undercover agent agreed to the purchase of 10 kilograms of cocaine for $125,000, which represented a slight discount off the going rate of $13,000 per kilogram on St. Thomas.