St. Thomas, USVI – District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced on December 8, 2016, Noelle Bishopel, 27, and Sierra Wimberly, 26, both of Atlanta, Georgia, for possessing with intent to distribute marijuana, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced. Judge Gomez sentenced Wimberly to two months’ incarceration, two years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $100 special assessment. Judge Gomez sentenced Bishopel to four months’ incarceration, two years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a special assessment of $100.
According to court records, on April 6, 2016, at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detected narcotics in checked bags belonging to Wimberly and Bishopel, who had arrived on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta. They were both taken to secondary inspection where their checked bags were further examined. CBP officers seized approximately 4.9 kilograms of marijuana from Wimberly’s bag, and 9.45 kilograms of marijuana from Bishopel’s bag.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard Potter.