Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

14 years for VIPD Officer for drug trafficking

14 years for VIPD Officer for drug trafficking

The letters of police officers, family members and friends pleading to the Miami District Court asking for leniency for Teshawn Adams, the US Virgin Islands (USVI) Police Officer and National Guard member who federal prosecutors said was at the centre of a multi-million dollar cocaine operation, did not sway Judge Paul Huck from handing down a 14-year prison sentence to Adams on Monday, October 5, 2021.

The matter was first reported by the Consortium on January 13, 2021.

Teshawn Adams was one of six arrested in January and charged as part of the case. St Thomas Police Officer and National Guard member Shakim Mike and suspects Maleek Leonard, Roystin David and Trevon Adams were also arrested as part of the complaint that alleges the suspects "knowingly and willfully conspired to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine," revealed to be 328.79 kilograms. Leonard was sentenced to five years federal imprisonment Tuesday. Also arrested was Anthon Berkeley.

Berkley was charged under a separate complaint. He admitted to driving from Orlando to Miami with the intent to pick up one kilo of cocaine from the private-charter smuggling event. During his interview, Berkely admitted that he was supposed to pick up one kilogram of cocaine and bring it to an unknown individual in Orlando. According to the complaint, although Berkely was not the ultimate buyer of the cocaine, he was expected to be paid $18,000 to pick up and transport the narcotics.

Adams involvement


Teshawn Adams was charged with cocaine trafficking for his major involvement in moving the cocaine. In the complaint, Teshawn is identified as the man who offered Police Officer Shakim Mike $60,000 to $70,000 for his role in the smuggling venture. Mike admitted that at least three of the seized bags belonged to him and that he helped pack the cocaine bricks in the bags. Soon after Mike absconded, he sent his location to Trevon Adams, who picked him up at a hotel and drove him to Orlando, where he was contacted by law enforcement and ultimately agreed to surrender, according to the complaint. Trevon is Teshawn's brother.

According to the complaint, text messages between Roystin David and Teshawn Adams included references to "moving product," "recruiting flight attendants," "investing all the money from our bricks," "meeting the big dogs in Santo Domingo," and "living off the airport trips." David also said that the last words he heard from Mike before Mike fled, were, "oh s***, I think we should run."

Remorseful


Teshawn's defense attorney stated that the defendant "is sincerely remorseful for his criminal conduct and acknowledges that the offense to which he has entered a plea of guilty is of a serious nature. Further, the defendant wholly realizes the impact his poor decision to become involved in this criminal conduct will have upon his family and his future, and knows that he has nobody to blame but himself."

Assistant US Attorney Yeney Hernandez said that those writing asking for leniency did not know Teshawn Adams too well. Among them was police officer in the state of Georgia, Shanice Allamby, who wrote, "I was troubled, disturbed and surprised when I learned about the recent case with Mr Adams as he has always been a solid person. As an ex-coworker at my past employer, the Virgin Islands Police Department, I have grown to know Mr Adams for the past 5 years."

Officer Allamby added, "Throughout this time in the academy, I was consistently impressed by the way Mr Adams had dedicated his time to assist me in preparing for testing academically and physically... I have witnessed Mr Adams growing as a smart, talented and responsible person. Teshawn have always displayed a degree of high integrity, responsibility, professionalism and ambition in many aspects."

Mikhail Woodley, who met Teshawn while at the VIPD's Police Academy in 2016, wrote, "Teshawn has always been the person you can depend on to be by your side, to help shoulder the burdens of life. Throughout my own struggles, I learned the true definition of love, loyalty, and friendship; all exhibited by Teshawn. But as loyal of a friend he is, Teshawn is an even more loyal and protective father."

Teshawn's mother, Natasha Adams, wrote, "Teshawn has accepted what he did and he knows he was wrong. He has voiced his regret for the decision he made that fateful night. He knows how much his daughter depends on him and being away from her has caused him major pain."

Teshawn's spouse, Judica Jeffers, wrote, "Teshawn is a great son, dad, spouse, friend, colleague, and grandson. He always made sure to be there for others even when they were not there for him. As a reliable and respected member of the community, Teshawns arrest was quite unexpected. Teshawn has spoken to me about his lack of judgement he has exhibited and expressed penitence for his actions."

Adams wanted to be a millionaire within a year- Asst US Attorney


Attorney Hernandez wrote in her sentencing memorandum that those seeking leniency and describing Teshawn's character as upstanding, misjudged. She cited text messages showing Teshawn planned on using a military plane to transport cocaine and was convinced he would become a millionaire within a year from drug trafficking.

"The idea that the defendant merely fell in with a bad set of friends inverts the dynamic. It is [Teshawn] Adams who recruited Leonard and directly dealt with the supply-level conspirators. Likewise, the defendant was not planning to become a millionaire for his child's sake, but for his self-centered interests alone," Attorney Hernandez wrote.

Along with his 14-year prison sentence, Teshawn Adams will be under supervision for five years and has been ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and special assessment fee of $100.

The others involved are expected to be sentenced on Friday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×