PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — A leader of a transnational gunrunning operation was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for orchestrating a conspiracy to smuggle over 200 firearms and related components from Florida to the Caribbean, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
Shem Wayne Alexander, 36, of Port of Spain, Trinidad, received a 4-year, 9-month sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to smuggle firearms. U.S. authorities extradited Alexander from Jamaica to face charges in Tampa federal court, where a judge also ordered him to forfeit weapons seized during the smuggling operation.
“Homeland Security Investigations works diligently to dismantle transnational criminal organizations such as these, which engage in firearms smuggling,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “It is more than just a matter of enforcing laws — it is a commitment to safeguarding communities both at home and abroad.”
Between April 2019 and April 2022, Alexander and his network illegally exported more than 200 firearms, receivers, and gun parts from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago, according to court records. The smuggling operation included AR-15 components, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, magazines, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The conspiracy unraveled on April 21, 2021, when Trinidad and Tobago authorities seized a shipment at Piarco International Airport containing two punching bags. Alexander’s group had labeled the packages as “household items” to conceal the contents. Inside, investigators found 11 9mm pistols, two .38-caliber revolvers, a 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun, and dozens of AR-15 parts and magazines.
The case represents a coordinated international effort involving HSI Tampa, ATF, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other agencies. Federal prosecutors credited the successful extradition and prosecution to partnerships between U.S. and Caribbean law enforcement agencies.
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