Ex-British Virgin Islands premier sentenced in drug smuggling plot

Andrew Alturo Fahie was sentenced to 11 years in prison
Fahie was arrested in 2022 and convicted in February
Prosecutors alleged he conspired to import cocaine into Miami

Updated: Aug 7, 2024 / 10:34 AM CDT

This photo released by the Department of Information and Public Relations of the government of the British Virgin Islands on April 22, 2022 shows British Virgin Islands Premier Andrew Alturo Fahie. Fahie and the director of the Caribbean territory’s ports were scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Friday, April 29, 2022 after their arrest on drug smuggling charges in a sting set up by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (Department of Information and Public Relations of the government of the British Virgin Islands via AP)

(NewsNation) — Former British Virgin Islands Premier Andrew Alturo Fahie was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison after being convicted of conspiring to import drugs into the United States and launder money, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Fahie was arrested in April 2022 by the DEA in Miami on charges related to money laundering, conspiracy to import cocaine and planning to assist a cartel in moving cocaine into the U.S. As part of the alleged scheme, Fahie would have made millions in exchange for his assistance in getting Colombian cocaine to Miami through the use of ports in the British Virgin Islands, the DEA said in a news release.

The trial began in late January and Fahie was convicted in February on all seven counts.

According to evidence introduced at trial, Fahie; Oleanvine Pickering Maynard, the managing director of the BVI Ports Authority; and the port director’s son Kadeem Stephan Maynard participated in a series of meetings with a purported Sinaloa cartel drug trafficker to broker an arrangement.

Oleanvine Maynard and Kadeem Maynard previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams to 112 months and 57 months in prison, respectively.

Fahie was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his involvement in the scheme.