JAMAICAN James Earl Wiggins, alias James Taylor, who was recently convicted of federal firearms offences, is facing a 10-year prison term and a fine of US$250,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The trial was presided over by US District Judge B Avant Edenfield in Statesboro, Georgia.

Wiggins, 37, an unemployed drifter who had been staying in Rochester, New York and Atlanta, was convicted on three counts of a four-count indictment.

He was convicted of conspiracy to make false statements in connection with the purchase of 11 guns from a federal licensed firearms dealer, conspiracy to transport firearms without a license, possession of firearms after being previously convicted of a felony, and possession of firearms after being previously convicted on three occasions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence.

The case and investigation were initiated by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) after it received a report of the multiple sale of the 11 guns, all sold to the defendant’s cousin on August 11, 2001.

Three of the firearms were recovered in a search warrant in Jamaica on September 8 this year, and Jacqueline Nicholson, the recipient of the firearms, was subsequently convicted of firearms violations. Another two of the firearms were recovered after the investigations of crimes, including drug possession and attempted murder, involving Jamaican nationals in Rochester, New York.

Officers from the Department of State, the Statesboro Police Department, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County (New York) Sheriff’s Office, and the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) all participated in the investigations.

Michael Wilkins, regional security officer for the US Embassy in Kingston, confirmed that the three handguns seized in Jamaica by the JCF were presented as evidence in the case. Two Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) officers also travelled to Georgia to provide their testimony.

Meanwhile, United States Ambassador to Jamaica Sue Cobb has applauded the efforts of the Jamaican police in playing a key role in the investigation and conviction in the United States of the gun smuggler.

“The conviction of this gun smuggler is another example of the importance and effectiveness of our joint efforts to stem the flow of guns smuggled from the US to Jamaica for illegal purposes,” she said. “We realize that when even one weapon falls into the hands of a criminal in Jamaica, in the US, or elsewhere, it has profound consequences.”

Added Cobb: “Interdiction of illegal arms being sent to Jamaica is a high priority of the embassy’s law enforcement team,” the ambassador said. “To get convictions, to stop this trade, cases have to be fully investigated, working backwards from the seizure of the firearm here, to identification of the immediate supplier of the firearm, all the way back to when the firearm first entered the illegal ‘arms bazaar.’ That’s the way we identify, and can then prosecute, the kingpins responsible for this trade.”

“Early investigative work here in Jamaica is the critical first step in strangling the firearms pipeline,” added the ambassador.

“By ATF accounts, the JCF officers gave high quality testimony which significantly contributed to the conviction,” said Wilkins. “The US attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Richard Thompson, has commended the JCF on all its efforts and co-operation. The case is being investigated further to find co-conspirators and the remaining missing firearms,” added Wilkins.