Man arrested for ammunition found in airport luggage
BVI News understands that a man was recently arrested and charged at the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island after a live round of ammunition was discovered in his luggage.
The incident reportedly occurred last weekend while airport security personnel were conducting routine checks on departing passengers.
The man’s nationality and age remain unknown. However, sources told our news centre that the live round was found inside a container typically used by law enforcement to collect evidence.
It is unclear whether any other illegal items were found in his possession or how he came to acquire the ammunition. Once police arrived on the scene, the man was arrested and taken into custody, according to sources.
At this time, BVI News has not confirmed whether the man was remanded to prison or allowed to leave the territory as he had initially planned.
This incident comes amid a broader rise in crime across the territory. The BVI has recorded a 12 percent increase in reported crimes for 2024, which police say is largely driven by organised gang activity, including burglaries and robberies.
Elected leaders have described the uptick in crime as a “rough patch,” emphasizing that the BVI has never had a culture of crime and violence. Meanwhile, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) said it achieved a 49 percent detection rate for all crimes in 2024—placing the territory ahead of many other jurisdictions.
Despite recent developments, the BVI remains one of the safest countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.
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I have previously addressed this matter and will not delve into it extensively again. While ignorance of the law is indeed no excuse, it is imperative that our legislation reflects common sense. Are we to believe that he /she would throw the single round of ammunition to cause harm, since there ws no firearm ? Even in countries with pervasive gun cultures, such as the United States, there are established procedures to handle situations where ammunition is inadvertently left in luggage. Surely, we can implement similar measures. This case has the potential to adversely affect our tourism industry. The artice states that this cmes amid an uptick in crime;can anyone provide statistics on how many of these crimes are comitted by visiting tourist? At some point, common sense must prevail. There are numerous examples where policies and exemptions are within the discretionary powers of senior leadership to decide upon, this needs to be one of them .
Agreed. As someone who advocates against gun violence occurring within the territory and calls for those who violate the gun laws to be held accountable particularly in the commission of crimes, I am seeing this situation differently.
What I suspect has happened here with this traveler was that he forgot to remove that singular bullet from his luggage.
I would go further in saying he probably had no criminal intent. He probably carries around his firearm and ammunition in his luggage while travelling by car in the U.S, and did not do a great job cleaning out his suitcase prior to this trip.
In the US, many people have guns and travel with them on person, or in their car. Indeed some 42% percent of US households own at least one firearm with estimates suggesting that there are 1.5 firearms per person.
They certainly cannot bring firearms on a plane that’s why I mentioned car. I’m surprise TSA did not catch this.
Based on media report, no guns nor other ammunition were discovered leading me to believe it was likely an oversight on his part.
As such, yes their arrest was proper as it’s against the law to have a gun and ammunition in the territory; however, in my view it should be seen for what it potentially is/was: an oversight.
Thus, I would think after questioning and a determination of the traveler’s intent, if all checks out to be nothing more than an oversight, fine, warn or both and release him.
This is not a case to make a big stink of when you have people running around our streets killing people in broad day light.
To the traveler or future gun owning travelers from the US: If you are going to be travelling to a foreign country, you need to familiarize your self with their laws in general. I’m sure you have heard this before.
If you are a legal gun owner in the US, understand that your legal US gun rights end at your point of departure to a foreign country.
Anyway, lets not make a big stink of this particular case. The security folks at the airport did their job in discovering the live round something we want them to do.
Hope the legal process can/was resolved quickly after consideration of the circumstances, and the traveler is/was dealt with common sense as you suggested.
All facts, except that we DO fly on planes w/ in the US w/ our firearms and ammo. Firearm has to be unloaded and in a lockbox and must be checked as luggage. Also, ammo has to go in a checked bag separate from the firearm. Believe it or not a lot of us hunt and travel outside of our state by airline. Hunting trips are very common in the US.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition
Common sense and practical for a nation with many gun owners. I believe this policy of arresting for a single round of ammuniion is alarmist and not at all practical .where is the common sense.
@US. Would like to acknowledge your pointing out that firearms can be transported on planes under locked conditions and unloaded in checked baggage.
I have always assumed it was not permitted. As a non-gun owner, I understandably never thought of transporting a gun on a plane and thought it was not permissible.
Your pointing this out supports the case I was making in my initial post that perhaps this was an oversight.
Of note in the TSA regulations relative to transporting guns on plane, the gun has to be unloaded. If they are deemed loaded, i.e. bullet in gun, the traveler can be subjected to civil fines at a minimum if they have a legal gun permit.
At any rate, now I know the facts. Thanks.
The process in the US in most cases even with actual firemarms and definately with ammunition ,even with States with strict gun laws is, if its determined thats its an oversight , the passenger is given a warning , the ammunition confiscated and he/se is send on their way. The cost of legal representation in the BVI is high and the process slow potentially costing ten of thousands of dollars for an oversight. The tourist that spends the most in BVI are from the US, this is not good publicity for the BVI .As the previous poster asked I would like to know the stats for the amount of crime committed by tourist visiting ;in particular armed crime.
That’s a damn lie. If a non American is found with ammunition, he m /she will not be given a warning. You know that is not so.
This is for a court to decide. A police officer’s job is to enforce the law.
You go to the USA with ammunition in your luggage and see what happens to you.
You don’t even know the full scope of the matter to make this broad statement. Citizens from other countries are not granted the same mercy as US citizens in similar situations. Context matters!!!
Yes it is true, but no less a societal secret.
More people, children and adults are murdered in cold blood, in this territory each year from obeah, witch craft and voodoo than by gun violence,
Get a hold of that and stop the killing.
Do yo have any stats to back up that statement?
If it is found the person made 365 flights into the VI in a years then they could have amassed an arsenal of 365 bullets at a cost of about $219000.
The person could of course just ask Ronnie to carry them as Ronnie does not expect to be searched like the rest of us and and all the bullets could come in at once.
Smuggling one bullet at a time takes time and dedication and not a small amount of money.
If only Ronnie could be so dedicated to the VI people and his work as an elected official, and less dedicated to not being searched at the airport.
Are we sure the guy was smuggling a bullet?