ST.THOMAS, Virgin Islands - Vigilance and multi-agency collaboration of officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, resulted in the identification and apprehension of four individuals with active warrants during the past week.
On April 7, Gabriel Shabazz, 35, a citizen of the United States, presented himself for CBP pre-departure inspection at the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, before boarding a flight bound to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Law enforcement databases alerted to an outstanding warrant for his arrest for controlled substance violation charges out of Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. CBP officers confirmed that the warrant was active and contacted Ft. Lauderdale CBP, which detained Mr. Shabazz upon his arrival and turned his custody over to Broward County Sheriff’s Office for processing.
The following day, April 8, during pre-departure inspections on another flight bound to Ft. Lauderdale from St. Thomas, CBP officers identified another individual with an outstanding warrant. Mr. Jason Davis, 35, had a full extradition warrant out of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona, for Failure to Appear on Controlled Substance charges. Arrangements were made by Customs and Border Protection officers to detain him upon his arrival to Ft. Lauderdale, in order to complete his extradition.
Mr. Robert Carter, 58, a US Citizen and resident of St. Thomas, USVI, was identified before boarding a flight to Miami on April 9. He had an outstanding warrant for parole violation charges after three subsequent offenses on operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Iowa. Mr. Carter was met by CBP upon his arrival in Miami and arrested by the Miami Dade Police Department for extradition.
Finally, on April 12, Ms. Kelly Ballard, a citizen of the United States and resident of Maine, was identified by CBP officers during pre-departure inspection at the Cyril E. King Airport. She was identified as being the subject of two outstanding warrants, one from Nassau County Police Department in Mineola, NY and another at the Suffolk County Police Department in Yaphank, NY, for probation violations on public order crimes. Ms. Ballard was traveling to Ft. Lauderdale and was detained upon arrival. Her custody transferred to Broward Sheriff’s Office to process.
“Customs and Border Protection is an agency committed to securing our borders while at the same time cooperating with other law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of U.S. laws”, stated Louis Harrigan, St. Thomas Area Port Director. “The identification of these travelers with outstanding warrants from several jurisdictions is just a sample of CBP’s mission as guardians of our nation’s borders.”
CBP officers detect many individuals wanted by authorities in the continental U.S., upon their arrival to the USVI, or upon their return to the mainland from the USVI.