Mugshot of Jahmir Victor and the weapons he allegedly attempted to smuggle into the territory through the Cyril E. King Airport. By. THE V.I. POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE V.I. DEPT. OF JUSTICE
ST. THOMAS- A Philadelphia resident has been charged with multiple offenses after he was intercepted with a cache of weapons at the Cyril E. King airport.
Jahmir Victor, age 23, was arrested following a joint investigation involving law enforcement agencies within the Virgin Islands and mainland USA. The investigation concerned allegations of unlawful importation of firearms into the U.S. Virgin Islands by Victor and two unknown accomplices.
Victor is said to have traveled to St. Thomas from Florida on November 10th, checking in a duffel bag which contained multiple firearms and high capacity magazines. Investigations revealed that he only made the airline and TSA officials aware of two of the firearms via the Firearms Declaration form. However, upon arriving in the USVI he failed to declare the firearms and magazines as required under Virgin Islands law.
Security footage from the Cyril E. King Airport revealed that upon arrival, Victor passed the Police Department Firearm Declaration Booth and headed towards the exit after retrieving his bag. However he was intercepted by officers who detained him for questioning and inspection of his luggage. CCTV footage also showed Customs and Border Patrol officers running Victor’s luggage through an X-ray scanner which revealed the cache of firearms.
Further inspection of his luggage resulted in the discovery of 6 A/R style assault rifles, three pistols, one semi automatic tac-9 style machine pistol and 14 high capacity magazines. Upon being interviewed by law enforcement Victor admitted to knowingly transporting the weapons and disclosed that he was in the territory for the purpose of selling them to individuals who would meet him upon arrival. He provided statements that the intended sale was part of a conspiracy which involved an individual who assisted him in sourcing the weapons prior to travel.
CBP Officers released the defendant pending further investigation but seized the cache of weapons. However, he was apprehended at the Cyril E. King airport on November 14th after police developed probable cause to believe that he committed multiple offenses, and received information that he was scheduled to leave St. Thomas.
At a Wednesday morning hearing, Victor was advised that he is charged with 5 offenes- selling firearms and ammunition without a license, unlawful importation of firearms without a license, failure to register or declare firearm upon entry, conspiracy and committing acts which constitute a violation under the Criminally Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The offenses carry prison sentences ranging from 3 to 25 years and fines between $1,000 and $500,000.
Appearing for the people, Rob Barchiesi recommended that Victor’s bail be increased from $150,000 to $250,000 due to the gravity of the charges. Barchiesi emphasized the serious implications of the weapons falling into the wrong hands, particularly given the territory’s issues with gun violence. The attorney also pointed out that the defendant has loose ties to the Virgin Islands, as he has some extended relatives residing here but no employment, housing or sufficient ties.
Meanwhile, Public Defender Alexia Furlow contended that Victor’s bail should be lowered to $10,000, arguing that he is not an overall danger to any one individual or society and is not a flight risk.
Judge Henry Carr concluded that he could not lower the defendant’s bail as the allegations are indeed serious and Victor does not have any real ties to the Virgin Islands. His bail therefore remained as set at $150,000 to be posted in cash and/or property. He will be released into the care of a suitable third-party custodian and will be subject to a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew during the week and 24-hour house arrest on weekends. Victor must surrender all travel documents and cannot leave St. Thomas without prior written court permission.
