St. Thomas, USVI - Naeem Smith, 25, of St. Thomas, was sentenced in federal court on March 16, 2017, to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on firearms trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Joycelyn Hewlett announced. District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez also ordered Smith to pay a $3,000 fine, $100 special assessment, to perform 400 hours of community service, and to forfeit 18 firearms, including two AK47s.
On Aug. 17, 2016, Smith pleaded guilty to trafficking firearms in interstate and foreign commerce. According to the plea agreement, on April 27, 2016, at the Cyril E. King Airport, a law enforcement K-9 alerted to the presence of firearms inside of luggage checked in Smith’s name. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers examined Smith’s luggage, which revealed one Taurus pistol, 15 Glock pistols, and two AK-47 assault rifles. His luggage also contained two AK-47 magazines, 36 other pistol magazines with capacities ranging from 9 to 15 rounds, 10 speed loaders, twenty.40 caliber Smith and Wesson rounds, and a storage box.
This case was a result of Operation Gun Dog, which was formed by law enforcement agencies to interdict contraband traveling through the Cyril E. King Airport and deter criminal activity during the St. Thomas Carnival. Agencies included CBP, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Transportation Security Administration, Virgin Islands Port Authority and Virgin Islands Police Department It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Delia Smith.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
