Florida Man Smuggled Guns to the Caribbean Disguised as Food, Clothes
International man of mystery or shortsided gun-running thug? You decide.
Kenny James Phillip is likely sitting in a Miami-area jail awaiting trial for gun running. His undoing came after he allegedly believed that writing “food” or “clothing” on boxes full of guns would stop authorities from looking inside.
Authorities on the small Caribbean island of Dominica flagged a suspicious box shipped from Florida and labeled “clothes.” Spoiler alert: There were no clothes inside. Instead, officials found six firearms with “obliterated” serial numbers, 13 magazines, and 150 rounds of ammunition.
Investigators didn’t stop there.
How authorities unraveled the scheme
Officials located another shipment labeled “canned food.” Inside, they found six 9mm handguns and 12 magazines.
Authorities traced both boxes to a shipping company in Orlando. Employees told investigators that a man named Kenny James Phillip dropped them off.
Phillip is a dual citizen of France and the United States. Authorities say he has been living in Orlando as a fugitive. He already faces federal charges for firearms smuggling and has a history of illegal gun possession.
Investigators believe that in the past Phillip traveled to the French territory of Guadeloupe. Then he would take a boat to Dominica to retrieve the weapons.
Why go to all this trouble? Attorney Rajan Joshi told Florida’s Channel 9 Eyewitness News, “There’s a huge market in the Caribbean networks for firearms.”
Authorities have released few additional details. Channel 9 reports that a person named Kenny James Phillip has since been booked into a federal prison in Miami.
