Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
A 37-YEAR-OLD Jamaican citizen, who arrived in the island on Wednesday with a cache of gun parts, has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and breaches of the Customs Act and importing firearm without a permit.
He has been identified as Clarence Simpson, of a Central Avenue address in Kingston 5. The police said he is an armourer. He is booked to appear in the Gun Court on Friday, June 13. He was charged after being detained for 48 hours.
Reports are that on Wednesday at about 3:00 p.m., Mr. Simpson, who departed from Miami in the United States aboard an American Airline flight, was nabbed while going through Customs.
Allegations are that his luggage was searched and a number of gun parts and accessories were found. Among the cache were an M-16 butt stock, magazines for handguns, slides, springs, rods, sight alignment tool, laser pointer, handgun triggers, shooting timers, gun cleaning equipment, and a Dell laptop computer, among other things.
Investigations are under way to ascertain how the Jamaican was able to slip through the United States security system which has been beefed up since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The United States Embassy in New Kingston was unable to provide The Gleaner with the information related to guidelines when one departs the U.S. ports of entry.
