A 45-year-old former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer has been convicted of importing and possessing with intent to distribute more than 16 kilograms of cocaine.
A jury convicted Ivan Van Beverhoudt of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, importation of cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine following a five-day trial.
According to federal prosecutors, on Jan. 10, 2020, Van Beverhoudt boarded a commercial flight from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to Atlanta with 16 bricks of cocaine in two carry-on bags. To avoid TSA screening in St. Thomas, Van Beverhoudt traveled in his official capacity with his loaded CBP-issued firearm.
Upon arriving at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, en route to his final destination of Baltimore, Maryland, a narcotics K-9 officer in the jetway alerted to Van Beverhoudt’s luggage, resulting in the discovery of the cocaine.
“Van Beverhoudt used his trusted position as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer to circumvent the law and smuggle dangerous drugs into our community,” Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. said in a release.
