Jamaican National Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Firearms from the U.S.

MIAMI - A Jamaican national pleaded guilty to illegally exporting dozens of firearms, magazines, and ammunition from the U.S. to Jamaica by concealing them inside furniture and shipping them overseas.

Taugea Ubert Dayes, 33, who performs under his stage name "Countree Hype," pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the U.S. and one count of delivering a firearm to a common carrier without written notice.

"Illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence far beyond our borders," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. "This defendant concealed dozens of firearms inside furniture and attempted to ship them overseas to evade detection and arm the black market in Jamaica. Firearms smuggling is not a paperwork offense. It is a public safety threat that fuels violence, empowers criminal organizations, and destabilizes communities. We will continue working with our international law enforcement partners to stop the flow of illegal weapons at its source."

According to court records, on March 7 and 8, 2025, Dayes concealed 30 firearms, 32 magazines, and over 100 rounds of ammunition inside five office chairs. He wrapped the items in tinfoil and foam and sewed them into the seat cushions. On March 10, 2025, Dayes shipped the chairs from the U.S. to Jamaica using a freight shipping service. Jamaican law enforcement seized the firearms in Kingston eight days later.

Dayes faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami is investigating with assistance from the HSI Kingston Attaché, HSI Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), and the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Roca Shaw and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is a part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through the PSN program a broad spectrum of law enforcement and community stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to reduce violence crime and gun violence, and to make our local neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20344.

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