BVI Man Receives 57-Month Sentence for Cocaine Smuggling

Augusto Rodriguez-Molina gets 57 months for his role in smuggling 567 kilograms of cocaine

ST. THOMAS — On Thursday, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced that Augusto Rodriguez-Molina, a 37-year-old resident of Tortola, British Virgin Islands and a national of the Dominican Republic, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison.

The sentencing was handed down by District Judge Wilma A. Lewis and includes an additional two years of supervised release following his incarceration.

Rodriguez-Molina's conviction stems from a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Court documents reveal that on January 9, 2022, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations intercepted a suspicious vessel northeast of St. Croix in international waters—a region known for drug trafficking activities. The vessel lacked any signs of nationality such as a flag or registration documents, rendering it stateless and under U.S. jurisdiction.