TAMPA, FL – A shadowy network funneling American firearms to the Caribbean has cracked, with three men now facing federal prison time. Tevin OBrian Oliver (30, Homestead), Jameal Kaia Phillip (30, Trinidad and Tobago), and Edward Soloman King III (31, Tampa) all confessed to their roles in a sophisticated arms trafficking scheme that ran from 2019 to 2022, according to court documents unsealed today.
The operation involved shipping illegal weaponry – pistols, rifles, and crucial gun parts like receivers and kits – from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago. Investigators say Oliver and Phillip, both citizens of Trinidad, were the primary movers, cleverly concealing the firearms inside boxing equipment, speakers, and everyday household goods to evade detection by law enforcement and customs officials. King acted as a local facilitator, sourcing and transferring the guns within the Tampa area.
The feds got a major break when a shipment sent by Oliver on April 7, 2021, was intercepted at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad on April 22, 2021. The package contained a deadly payload: a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol, a SAR Arms SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, and a Ruger Security-9 9mm pistol. Authorities seized the contraband, triggering a joint investigation between U.S. and Trinidadian law enforcement.
The scheme wasn’t just about direct shipments. The trio allegedly utilized ‘straw purchases’ – enlisting others to buy firearms on their behalf while falsely stating the true buyer and destination. This allowed them to circumvent background checks and obscure the ultimate recipient of the weapons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), spearheaded the investigation, receiving crucial support from Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of National Security and Police Service.
Oliver and Phillip each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison. King’s involvement, specifically disposing of a firearm to a nonimmigrant, carries a heftier penalty – up to 15 years behind bars. All three defendants have agreed to forfeit the firearms, ammunition, and related equipment used in the illicit operation. Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Scruggs is prosecuting the case.
This takedown is part of a larger Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, a multi-agency effort aimed at dismantling the most dangerous criminal organizations operating in the United States. The OCDETF leverages intelligence and prosecutorial power to target high-level criminals, and this case demonstrates its reach extends beyond U.S. borders. The investigation also involved U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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