Former CBP officer convicted for smuggling cocaine from Virgin Islands to Atlanta

Ryan K. Buchanan, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia

Following a five-day jury trial, Ivan Van Beverhoudt, 45, from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, has been convicted of importing and possessing with intent to distribute over 16 kilograms of 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," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. "Thanks to the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, Van Beverhoudt is now being held accountable and faces time in federal prison."

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, on January 10, 2020, Van Beverhoudt boarded a commercial flight from St. Thomas to Atlanta with 16 bricks of cocaine in two carry-on bags. He traveled in his official capacity with his loaded CBP-issued firearm to avoid TSA screening in St. Thomas. Upon arrival at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a trained narcotics K-9 officer detected the cocaine in his luggage.

At the end of the trial, Van Beverhoudt was convicted 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. The Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines when determining his sentence.

The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Bret R. Hobson are leading the prosecution alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel B. Milam.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta advises parents and children to learn about drug dangers at www.justthinktwice.gov.

For more information contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280. The website for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.