Crime

Man Arrested and Charged For Allegedly Mailing Three Firearms With Obliterated Serial Numbers to St. Thomas

ST. THOMAS — U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert has announced that Tyrone Ortiz, 37, of Rex, Georgia, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller Tuesday for an advisement hearing following his arrest for possession of three firearms with obliterated serial numbers. According to Court records, on March 10, 2022, Customs and Border Protection officers in San Juan, PR seized a package that contained three handguns with obliterated serial numbers. The handguns were concealed inside large surge protectors, and the package was addressed to a post office box on St. Thomas, from a sender located in Locust Grove, Georgia. Postal records revealed that both the names and addresses on the package were not associated with the actual addresses, and that the addresses were invalid. Court records further revealed that the telephone number listed on the shipping label of the package was the phone number for the defendant Ortiz. On March 11, 2022, HSI in San Juan, PR, transferred the USPS package...