US visitors urged to avoid carrying ammo to Cayman
Owen Roberts International Airport, Grand Cayman
(CNS): Magistrate Voldis Foldats sent a message to US travellers that they should not only check their bags for stray bullets before travelling but should not use the same bags they carry guns in at home when going overseas. When the latest visitor from the US caught with a round of ammunition in her bag appeared in court Tuesday, the magistrate warned her that things could have been a lot worse if she had been stopped in another country. Concerned about the frequency with which visitors coming here accidentally carry bullets, he commended the customs officers who had again found ammunition overlooked in at least two US airports.
The defendant, Alicia Jurney, a US attorney who practices family law in Raleigh, North Carolina, was visiting the Cayman Islands on vacation. She was detained at the airport after the bullet was found in her bag as she tried to board a plane to Miami this weekend.
Jurney, who is licensed in the US to carry a concealed weapon, avoided a conviction when she pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition. Assisted by local defense attorney John Furniss, who asked for the exceptional measures, she was ordered to pay $1,500 to cover the costs of the court hearing.
Local people who do not have a lawful gun licence caught with ammunition face a ten-year jail term.
Magistrate Foldats raised his concerns that once again a traveller had passed through security at American airports, where the bullet was not detected. He said it was not for the Cayman court to pass any judgment on the security arrangements at the airports but he noted that it happens every few months.
As he praised the customs officers at the Owen Roberts International Airport, who, he said, appeared to be the only ones catching this, he told Jurney that every country’s laws on weapons are different and that Cayman has strict legislation.
However, Foldats told her that things could have been much worse if she had been caught with the ammunition in another country. But as a licensed gun owner with a lawful concealed weapon permit in the US, he would, as with other similar cases, not record a conviction, he said, but ordered her to pay the costs.
He explained that he wanted to try and get the message out to people coming from America that they should not use the same bags to travel with that they use for guns and bullets. He said it was easy for a small bullet to get lodged under the lining.
Jurney agreed to the fine and apologized to the court. Despite the situation, she stated through Furniss that she had been treated very professionally by the law enforcement officials.
when we check in at the airport counter we are asked questions like ‘are you carrying any food &/ or liquids….?. is it so difficult then at the same time to enquire if they are carrying firearms?
If you don’t have a gun, what use is ammo? I guess you could throw it at someone, like wedding rice. Not sure how that pan out. Ouch, call Hillary!
That headline cracked us all up at work. Really?! Leave your ammo dude. I mean who packs ammo for a vacation?
Meantime people come and go by “watercraft” as they pleased. No customs to go through,no documents, bring what you like, take what you can.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition
We seem to be missing the point that this person traveled through yankee airports without a problem. The same yanks who have instigated all this extra security around the world except for themselves.
I’ve travelled through TSA with my daughter and her sister’s expired passport try that for TSA.
My guess is that they could easily profile those likely to have ammo by asking two questions. “Do you intend to vote for Donald Trump?” and “Do you live in a fly over state?”. This would indicate high likelihood of gun use and stupidity.
Another example is the discovery, on a few occasions, of intransit Cuban passengers from Miami to Havana via Cayman, being discovered with complete knife sets in their hand baggage upon going through departure security in Cayman.
The fundamental concern with (mainly) US visitors arriving in Cayman with undetected firearms or ammo is the poor level of security at the US airports they depart. These poor standards should concern anyone who travels on a commercial carrier within or out of the States.
I’m speaking from professional experience of having had responsibility for inspecting security processes (passenger and baggage screening) employed at Miami International. At that time (many years after 9/11 attacks) security screening at MIA was appalling. Security screeners displayed a clear lack of training, understanding and implementation of their role.
While a poster boasted of recent TSA discoveries and the US press recently touted improvements, US aviation security processes lag woefully behind those employed by the UK (which is essentially the same security regime employed in Cayman).
I wonder if it says in the Law that tourist are to be fined but locals are to be convicted and sent to prison for 10 years.
I think the judges are overstepping their constitutional role and it would be nice for them to apply the law.
If the legislators want to change it let it be but until then stop playing God and do you job by the book.
There are 320,000,000 of us, the majority of whom have guns and ammunition. Mistakes will be made. You need to concentrate on your real gun problems. They are in no way related to a few negligent tourists.
There are 60,000 of us. Mistakes will be made. You need to sort out your real gun, police, racism and attitude problem.
It’s true that our authorities need to concentrate more on illegal firearms here in the Cayman Islands but by golly, what an “Absolute Mess” firearms are causing in the United States.
Firearms are not made in the Cayman Islands, but the great United States who is one of the biggest manufacturers and exporters of arms around the world.
Look at the mass production of firearms and easy access to them have caused:
Aurora, Columbine, Sand Hook etc…. and 30,000 homicides in 2015 alone. Yeah I know you have over 300 million people but 30,000 killed in a 12 month period is still 30,000 murders per year. Sorry, but that sounds like parts of the civil war era.
When your legal cache of guns in your homes becomes like a bunch keys that are thrown on your kitchen counter and is then picked up by your 15 year old who takes it to school to take out the teacher who gave him a bad grade; or use it on the other 15 year old who bullied him at a basketball practice, then that’s a terrible state of affairs for a country and nothing to be proud about.
It will be worst, if Donald Trump get’s near the White House.
If that happens, then I guess Walmart & Target will soon be taking orders online for surface to air missiles, bazookas and the M1 Abrams armored tanks.
I know it’s not possible but if the US founding fathers were to come back to life today, what would they really think and say about the United States Second Amendment and the whole situation concerning arms in America ?
By the way, I’m not an Anti-firearms guy as I do have two licensed firearms in a secured locker in my home in Grand Cayman but if I was allowed a license for an AR15 Bushmaster or an M16, what the hell would I do with such a weapon ?
Open carry I suppose – and shoot all the iguanas and wild chickens along Seven Mile Beach all in the name of hunting !!
You know nothing of Donald Trump and less of Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump is a complete jackass who takes great pride to constantly kick a hollow tree, to hear the constant echo of his stupidity. I see he is now trying to make a 360′ turn on Immigration and Religion.
I believe if a medical examiner such as Dr. Badden was to do analysis on the brains of Donald Trump, George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumpsfeld, he would discover that their brains are similarly effected like the poor babies around the world that are now affected by the Zika virus.
If their DNA ever came in contact with the great bald eagle that soars the beautiful American land-scape, the poor eagle would fly backwards or upside down.
Some Americans are quacky but I can’t believe the majority are that quacky, that they would elect Mr Quack himself to lead them.
If that happens, I would expect many fair minded Americans to be heading north to the border with Canada.
Who can blame them?
A 360 degree turn is continuing in the same direction.
Anonymous at 8:13, you represent very well the idiots who would vote for Hitlery or not vote at all over Donald Trump. Wonder what Dr Badden would think when he checked out your brain. Wait, you first have to have a brain in order to make a diagnosis.
There’s a certain satisfaction in knowing you don’t represent Trump supporters. Having a brain and having it switched on are 2 very big requirements! You fail!
Now go back to drawing your circles.
The CD says 11208 firearms homicides in 2013 or 3.5 per 100000, which seems way different to your round some 30000 / 10 per 100K. What’s your source?
PS 3.5 per 100,000 compares very favourably with Cayman in recent years!
Excuse me while I laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh at an American saying that WE need to focus on our gun problems. Americans killed 300,000 of their own people between 2005 and 2015.
If I took ammunition into the US from Cayman as a furigner what would happen?
4:48….a lovely vacation in a little cottage on the Cuban coast where America sends its “special” prisoners.
If we seriously want to plug the security holes, we could adopt the same screening used in Central America where there is no customs honour system – all incoming bags are put on a short X-ray security conveyer before you leave the customs hall. It may not catch everything, but it certainly discourages people from making false customs reports, under-reporting duty, and/or outright smuggling.
Dead right
Leaving only the unguarded coastlines to worry about…..
Timely advice: For the week August 12-18, 2016, the TSA intercepted a record-breaking 81 Firearms in carry-on bags from USA airports, over 70 of them loaded and ready to fire. This record only just edged out the record set the previous week when 78 firearms were discovered. TSA have a great Instagram account that demonstrates just how dense some travelers are – it’s hard to imagine unless you follow and can visualize the stupidity.
Well they are Americans.
Better watch who you mess with after all we are Americans and the rest exist because we let you
Foldats is Canadian. I bet he got his idea here: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1114579&tp=1
Still a good idea though…
The Judge needs to be corrected the majority of stray bullets found here are found going back out not much when coming in and these are being found by CIAA security an d their machines not Customs.
1.59, have you ever tried reading? Its quite difficult I know, but here on CNS they don’t use joined up letters.
There are clearly flaws in US TSA security procedures at US international airports, as is obvious by the number of these types of incidents. The detection of guns and ammo on departure from Grand Cayman speaks highly of the airport screening process conducted by FADS (which is contracted directly to the CIAA for these services). However, it speaks volumes of negativity that the jurisdiction for prosecution for such incidents falls under the CIAA through aviation security laws, yet CIAA constantly and regularly improperly deflects this responsibility to HM Customs.
The regime and penalties for aviation security breaches differ vastly from those for importation of illegal weapons or ammo. CIAA is ignoring its responsibility by itself not prosecuting aviation security breaches under the Aviation Security and Piracy Order 2000, instead of divesting this responsibility to Customs. There is NO arrangement, MOU or otherwise which allows this and CIAA is failing in this fundamental responsibility to the travelling public.
CIAA should promptly address this consistent failure on its part.
Then they would have to prosecute police officers who try to carry loaded weapons onto planes.
Jail these arrogant idiots. That would send a better message to the US media nice and quick.
Yeah screw the tourists..
Yeah, the Cayman Islands are better off without the tourist dollars.
Before people start commenting that Government should be doing this and that, please note that it is about to the tourists to inform themselves what the laws of the Cayman Islands are and if not, they will deal with the consequence accordingly.
The US doesn’t give a hoot whether you are a tourist or not, you are expected to be aware and obey the law, otherwise you are put through the ringer.
My suggestion would be to significantly increase the fines for such offenses. There is no way that CI$ 1,500 covers all the time spend by customs, police and the courts to deal with this!
Tourists with stray bullets are not a real problem. Yes it is an offense but it is also an accident with no harm intended or done. Your real problem is your armed local criminals.
Whats the real problem in America?
Nobody says they are “a problem” but they should have to deal with the consequences of their oversight – it shouldn’t be the residents of the Islands who get to cover the cost of airports stuff, customs officers, police, judges etc involved with this.
And please, try to tell the “no harm intended” line to a custom/immigration officer in the US and see how much they care!
Straining the gnat and swallowing the camel again by the authorities in Cayman.
Put some hidden metal detectors at some bars and clubs in Cayman any you will find more than ammo.
Either the government and police are totally incompetent or they have a plan. You decide.
I think what the magistrate doesn’t understand here is that its not the local Customs officers at Owen Roberts International Airport that are finding these bullets. Its the FADS security officers who man the outgoing security checkpoint . They are the ones to be commended . The AMMO already passed thru the ARRIVAL Customs hall and reached on Cayman streets.
There should be a clear sign in the customs setting out the penalties, urging persons to check before reaching the customs officers, and a secure bin to drop things into.
Another sign? Really?
This is the most logical thing I have read tonight. Good idea.
All of this could be avoided. If customs implemented a questionnaire that is handed to visitors on the plane prior to arriving, asking simple questions like, “are you a fire are owner?” “have any of the bags you re travelling with been used to carry a firearm or ammo?”. My point is, questions could be asked on this questionnaire to determine weather or not a person requires extra screening for accidental importation of fire arm ammunition. This will avoid unnecessary clogging of the courts. I am sure the time spent cost more than USD$1500.00
Some of these tourists are as thick as planks.
Cayman caters to the fly over state tourists. Stupid is a given until proved otherwise.
Write English. What is a “fly over state tourist”? And what does your second sentence mean?
You, sir, are too stupid to be allowed near a keyboard in the age of the internet. Thank you for proving it with your comment.
So is the obnoxious commenter.
Hey, I am a tourist here and I don’t appreciate you dissing my carpentry trade.
They don’t hold a candle to our cruise ship tourists (aka cruisesheep),most of whom are as t’ick as a California redwood, physically and mentally
Why is it that the ammunition was not discovered on arrival at the airport? If she had had any sinister intent (eg supplying it to someone living here) the outcome could have been very different.
How do we know for sure that in each case the bullet(s) were brought in and not acquired here?.
Because customs simply don’t check incoming tourists? I’ve flown into ORIA possibly 30 times since 1992 on flights from the USA and the UK but never been subjected to a customs check. I often come over on business but because it’s always a short visit I always state it’s a dive trip to avoid hassles with immigration. In 2006 I had to come over from the UK three times in six months, which should have raised a few warning flags, without being stopped. In fact the only thing I was ever asked about was cigarettes.
As for leaving bullets in bags? Before the introduction of the UK’s current insane gun laws I owned several handguns and trust me every round of ammo for them was not only always accounted for but stored or carried either in the guns’ magazines or proper containers. Anyone carrying loose rounds in their gun cases needs a bit of remedial training.
Immigration, you reading this?
Because they don’t search everyone coming in or x ray their baggage? The bigger issue is why the TSA dint manage to detect the ammunition in hand baggage when leaving the US.
Maybe because they’re looking for stuff that can actually be harmful. I know you dumbass islanders don’t get it, but there’s not much you can do that is harmful with a bullet and no firearm to use it in.
this happens far too often. there must be some way that travelers are alerted about what is legal or illegal in our country before boarding a plane and these lame duck excuses that it ‘was left in the bags from their last hunting trip’ is nothing but hogwash.
perhaps adding something on the immigration form would be a start in defraying the ‘accidental’ importation of such items.
I have not cleaned my purse since I was in the States maybe six months ago. I am sure there are a half dozen lighters in there. If I had any idea that I would be sent to a Turkish prison for said,I would be more careful.
That said, give people a heads up. I am certain that they’d do not intend to offend.