Officers from the Department of Homeland Security detained a St. Thomas man last week who had allegedly packed 500 rounds of live ammunition in his and a travel companion’s suitcases.
Kareem Eric Casimir, 32, allegedly acknowledged he had not declared the bullets to airline or federal security personnel on St. Thomas or in Miami, where the flight departed. He allegedly told investigators he had bought the ammunition — 150 rounds of 9mm bullets, 50 rounds of 380 automatic ammunition, 100 rounds of .40 ammunition, and 200 rounds for a .223 weapon — in Florida and planned to sell them in the territory, according to court records.
The bullets were split between Casimir’s bag and one belonging to Tonia Mella, according to court records. It was unclear how Casimir was able to board the plane in Florida with the stockpile. It was also unclear why Mella, who allegedly told federal agents she knew of the bullets, was not charged.
Casimir was charged with failure to provide written notice of a firearm to a common carrier — a felony punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. He was released on $10,000 bond after surrendering his passport.
The arrest comes two years after Casimir was arrested for allegedly stealing and attempting to dismantle a Jet Ski. Police found Casimir on June 10, 2024, after a wanted poster had been printed. He faced charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, damaging and tampering with a vehicle and possession of stolen property.
In January 2019, Casimir was charged with assault and disturbance of the peace but charges were dropped a month later.
