Illinois Man Sentenced For Simple Possession of Fentanyl

St. Croix, USVI – Marshall D. Miller, age 44, of Illinois, was sentenced on Monday, March 16th, to time served (i.e. 69 days) in prison for simple possession of fentanyl, by Magistrate Judge George W. Cannon, announced United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert. Judge Cannon also sentenced Miller to a term of supervised release to end upon completion of an inpatient substance abuse program at The Village, Virgin Islands Partners in Recovery but not to exceed one year, and ordered him to pay a fine of $1,000.000 and a special assessment of $25.00.

According to court records, a Virgin Islands police officer encountered Miller on January 7, 2020 as he walked towards the Limetree Bay housing facilities in St. Croix. The officer noticed that Miller was wobbling and appeared strange. He approached and inquired whether Miller required assistance and eventually called the ambulance for him. While awaiting arrival of the ambulance, Miller withdrew five plastic baggies from his pockets and threw them on the ground. The baggies contained fentanyl weighing about .7 grams. Miller arrived in St. Croix from Illinois in December of 2019 and was employed by a subcontractor of Limetree Bay. He was a resident of the Limetree Bay housing facility.

This case is the first federal case filed in the Virgin Islands involving fentanyl. In an effort to avoid an adverse impact of the deadly street drug on the Virgin Islands community, the U.S. Attorney’s office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who possess or sell it. Anyone with information that may assist investigators regarding fentanyl or other illegal drugs is encouraged to contact the DEA tip line at www.dea.gov/submit-tip.

The case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso G. Andrews, Jr.