Homeland Security: $1.28 Million Seized & 4 Men Arrested in St. Thomas : Immigration Law Blog

Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI), working with U.S. Customs and Border Safety (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Caribbean Anti-Cash Laundering Alliance (CMLA), seized $1.28 million in money within the Stumpy Seashore space on the west finish of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Particular brokers discovered the money in an deserted automobile and arrested 4 males.

CBP officers noticed a silver Ford Explorer with dark-tinted home windows passing by. CBP, carefully observing the actions of an unknown man, a vessel that navigated by means of the waters, and the Ford Explorer, flashed their lightbar. The legislation enforcement officers searched the automobile and located moist luggage with vacuum-sealed bundles of forex.

Arrests and the Preliminary Trial

Alverio Morales, 26, and Javier Lebron Pinto, 26, each from Yabucoa Puerto Rico; Joshua Laboy-Lozada, 28, of Patillas, Puerto Rico; and Alcibiades Flis Batista, 46, of the Dominican Republic had been arrested. Preliminary hearings for Morales, Lebron Pinto, and Flis Batista had been held earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Decide Ruth Miller on April 8. Their instances had been transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service, and they’re awaiting the result. Laboy-Lozada had his preliminary listening to earlier than Justice of the Peace Decide Miller on April 9; he was launched on bail and is on house detention and digital monitoring.

Primarily, this case is being investigated collectively by the CMLA and different organizations working to dismantle cash laundering all through the Caribbean. The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Virgin Islands will prosecute the case.

Caribbean Cash Laundering Alliance

CMLA, established in 2018, promotes interagency collaboration to determine and curb the crime of cash laundering. CMLA’s companion businesses embrace HSI, CBP, the DEA, the FBI, IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Lawyer’s Places of work for the District of Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, in addition to state and native legislation enforcement businesses.

Homeland Safety Investigations

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS). HSI is answerable for investigating transnational crime and threats, laying particular deal with felony organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by means of which worldwide commerce, journey, and finance transfer.

HSI has over 10,400 staff which have greater than 7,100 Particular Brokers assigned to 220 cities unfold all through the USA. HSI additionally operates in 80 abroad areas in 53 nations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative legislation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.

To study extra about this weblog put up or in case you have some other immigration issues, please be at liberty to contact me at rglahoud@norris-law.com or (484) 544-0022.