Tampa, Florida – The United States Attorney, Roger B. Handberg, has revealed an indictment that charges Shem Wayne Alexander, a 35-year-old individual from Port of Spain, Trinidad, with conspiracy to commit unlawful export smuggling and conspiracy to traffic firearms. If found guilty, Alexander could face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. In line with a U.S. provisional arrest request for extradition, Alexander was apprehended in Jamaica on November 15, 2024. He was subsequently extradited to the United States on December 20, 2024, and is currently being held in detention pending trial.
The indictment states that Alexander led a group that illegally shipped firearms, firearms components, and related items from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago from 2019 to 2022. Alexander, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, oversaw the smuggling operation. To evade detection by law enforcement and customs officials, the group concealed pistols, rifles, and related equipment within boxing/fight equipment, speakers, and other household items. Additionally, the conspirators used straw purchases in the Tampa area to acquire firearms from various sellers, falsely misrepresenting the true identities of the buyers and recipients, as well as the intended destination of the firearms.
On April 7, 2021, Alexander instructed his accomplices to secretly ship a package containing multiple firearms and related equipment, including a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol, a SAR Arms SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, and a Ruger Security-9 9mm pistol, from Miami to Trinidad and Tobago. However, on April 22, 2021, authorities at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad discovered and confiscated the concealed firearms and other associated items in the shipment.