Marvin Griffin, 50, of St. Thomas was sentenced Thursday in District Court to 100 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms of cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. After serving his prison sentence, Griffin will be on federal supervised release for four years. Griffin was turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to complete his sentence.

According to court records, on Sept. 29, 2013, Griffin arrived at the Cyril E. King Airport and tried to board an American Airlines flight to New York. Griffin had a black backpack, plastic bag and a box as he entered the primary inspection area of the airport. When U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers questioned Griffin about the contents of the box, he allegedly said he box contained had food in it, and as a result he was referred to the agricultural specialist.

When the agricultural specialist opened the black backpack, she immediately noticed the odor of marijuana. As subsequent search of the box in Griffin’s possession revealed it to contain several cans. When these cans were opened, they were found to contain not marijuana but five kilograms of cocaine. Griffin was then placed under arrest. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2014, and has been incarcerated since that date.