A Virgin Islands man has plead guilty to smuggling nearly 89 grams of fentanyl into St. Croix through the mail—an amount authorities say was potentially lethal enough to kill every resident of the island.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mario Felix, 36 years old, mailed a hollowed-out black book from Hollywood, Florida, to St. Croix on Dec. 27, 2022.
Hidden inside the book were 800 fentanyl tablets.
Federal officers intercepted the package on Dec. 31, and investigators later linked it to Felix through fingerprints and other evidence.
Authorities said the seized fentanyl weighed 88.67 grams, or 88,670 milligrams. The Drug Enforcement Administration warns that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size and tolerance.
Based on that estimate, officials said the shipment contained approximately 44,335 potentially lethal doses—more than enough to kill St. Croix’s estimated population of about 41,000 residents.
Felix plead guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a charge carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years. Prosecutors have not announced a sentencing date.
Court records show Felix has an extensive criminal history dating back more than a decade.
In 2010, he plead guilty to reckless endangerment, property destruction, and firearms offenses. A year later, federal authorities charged him with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and marijuana, along with additional firearms violations.
In 2014, Felix plead guilty to possessing, distributing, or manufacturing a controlled substance as part of a plea agreement that resulted in the dismissal of several firearms charges. In 2016, he plead no contest to charges involving vehicle tampering and property destruction.
Federal prosecutors again charged Felix in 2020 with illegally possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon in a school zone.
Online court records also indicate Felix faced additional felony arrests in 2009, 2011, and 2012, although available documents do not provide further details on those cases.
