PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – A Trinidad and Tobago national has pleaded guilty in a United States court to conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the United States to the twin island republic, the United States Embassy said on Friday.

It said that Shem Wayne Alexander, 35, faces up to five years in federal prison.

Alexander was arrested in Jamaica on November 15, 2024, pursuant to a US provisional arrest request, and was extradited to the United States on December 20, last year.

The US authorities said that between April 2019 and April 2022, Alexander and his co-conspirators unlawfully exported firearms, firearms components, and ammunition from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago.

On April 21, 2021, officers from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Customs and Excise Division seized a shipment at Piarco International Airport here containing two punching bags. Concealed within the punching bags were multiple pistols, revolvers, a shotgun, AR-15 components, magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The embassy said that law enforcement agencies in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the United States played key cooperating roles leading to Alexander’s arrest and extradition.

“Illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence and undermines security across our region. The successful prosecution of this case is a direct result of the strong partnership between the U.S., Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaican law enforcement,” said the Chargé d’Affaires Charlie J. Franta III.

“Our nations remain committed to dismantling the transnational criminal networks that threaten the safety of our citizens,” he added.

The embassy said that the case is part of the Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force programme, which targets the most serious transnational criminal organisations.