Ivan Van Beverhoudt, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling cocaine into the United States. The sentence follows his conviction for importing and possessing over 15 kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute.
“Van Beverhoudt betrayed his badge by committing one of the very crimes he was entrusted to prevent—smuggling dangerous drugs into our country,” stated U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office and its agency partners will hold accountable any law enforcement officer who abuses his authority for criminal ends, and Van Beverhoudt’s twenty-year sentence demonstrates that such abuse will be met with severe consequences.”
Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama, remarked on the case’s significance: “This case highlights the severe repercussions for law enforcement officers who abuse their positions of trust.” He added that Van Beverhoudt’s actions were a grave violation.
The charges stem from an incident on January 10, 2020, when Van Beverhoudt boarded a flight from St. Thomas to Atlanta carrying 16 bricks of cocaine in his carry-on bags. To bypass TSA screening in St. Thomas, he traveled using his official capacity with a CBP-issued firearm. Upon arrival at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a narcotics K-9 officer detected the drugs in his luggage.
Following a five-day jury trial ending on February 24, 2025, Van Beverhoudt was convicted on multiple counts related to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
On July 8, 2025, United States District Judge J.P. Boulee handed down the sentence of 20 years imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert, Bret R. Hobson, and Laurel B. Milam prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office encourages 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) 581-6185 or visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
