Two sailors from the nuclear section of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan are facing court-martial for allegedly using and distributing LSD, a powerful hallucinogenic drug, according to Navy officials and their criminal charge sheets.
In addition to the two petty officers already heading to court-martial, the Navy is weighing charges on at least three other Reagan sailors for allegedly using and possessing illegal drugs, officials told Navy Times.
News first broke in February that the Navy was probing an alleged drug ring aboard the Japan-based carrier.
Machinist’s Mate Nuclear 2nd Class Andrew W. Miller faces charges for using, possessing and distributing the hallucinogenic drug from January to February of this year, according to charge sheets.
Electrician’s Mate Nuclear 2nd Class Sean M. Gevero also is charged with distributing LSD and possessing nandrolone decanoate, an anabolic steroid, the legal filings state.
Military attorneys for the accused sailors did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
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Seventh Fleet spokesman Lt. Joseph Keiley said special courts-martial for the two sailors are pending but did not provide a trial date.
The Navy was tight-lipped about the alleged incidents when the Wall Street Journal first broke the story earlier this year, and Keiley this week refused to even name the accused sailors' defense attorneys.
Three other sailors have not been formally charged yet but potentially face similar charges.
Of those three, an E-2 and an E-5 face conspiracy to distribute and wrongful use and possession charges, respectively, Keiley said.
Those two are awaiting an Article 32 hearing, where an officer will hear the evidence and make a recommendation to the command as to whether the cases should go to trial.
Another E-5 facing possible conspiracy to distribute and possession charges went before an Article 32 hearing in September.
Keiley said no decision on whether that sailor will go to court-martial has been made yet.
Keiley insisted there’s no evidence that any drugs were sold to Japanese citizens.
“Kanagawa prefectural police conducted an investigation into a Sailor’s alleged involvement in drug distribution, and the case was dropped by the local prosecutors’ office May 30,” he said.
Keiley said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service probe into the matter is complete.
Seventh Fleet refused to provide charge sheets for the three sailors facing Article 32s. Other Navy commands regularly provide such documents, usually with the names of the accused redacted.
“The U.S. Navy takes allegations of misconduct very seriously,” Keiley said in an email. “All accused Sailors are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Miller, of Indiana, enlisted in 2014 and pinned on second class in 2016, according to service records.
Miller arrived at the Reagan in 2015, his first assignment after his nuclear schooling and training.
Gevero, of Nevada, enlisted in 2013 and made second class in 2016. He joined the crew of the Reagan in 2015, according to military records.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.