The former premier of the British Virgin Islands has been sentenced in the United States to more than 11 years in federal prison after being convicted at trial in a conspiracy to traffic 'tons' of cocaine into the U.S. and launder the proceeds, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Tuesday.
Former British Virgin Islands (BVI) Premier Andrew Alturo Fahie was sentenced on Monday to 135 months in prison for his part in agreeing to facilitate the passage of "tons" of Colombian cocaine into Miami via BVI ports.
According to evidence presented at trial, in March and April 2022, Fahie participated in meetings with a "purported Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker" alongside BVI Ports Authority Managing Director Oleanvine Pickering Maynard (O. Maynard) and his son, Kadeem Stephan Maynard (K. Maynard).
At the meetings, they discussed bringing 3,000 kilograms (about 6,614 pounds) of cocaine through a BVI port as a test run, followed by 3,000 kilograms once or twice a month for four months. Fahie and O. Maynard agreed to secure licenses, shield the boats carrying the cocaine while in BVI's ports, and bribe BVI government officials and employees, in return for which the pair would receive a percentage of millions of dollars in cocaine sales.
To hide the drug trafficking proceeds, Fahie would funnel the money through different businesses or smuggle it back to the BVI.
Fahie and O. Maynard were arrested in Miami in April 2022, where they were set to pick up a $700,000 cash advance on their deal. K. Maynard was arrested in St. Thomas.
O. Maynard and K. Maynard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine and were sentenced to 112 months and 57 months in prison, respectively.
--with reporting by TMX
