Florida man accused of smuggling guns to Haiti days after federal complaint filed

MIAMI — Federal authorities arrested a Florida man accused of trying to smuggle firearms and ammunition to Haiti after discovering a shipment disguised as personal goods earlier this year.

Williamson Dossous, 50, of Cape Coral, was arrested July 13 at Miami International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Haiti. He appeared in federal court the next day on charges of smuggling goods from the United States and delivering firearms and ammunition to a common carrier without proper notice.

A federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida states that on Jan. 16, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inspecting an outbound cargo container at PortMiami found 10 pistols, 18 magazines, and over 2,200 rounds of ammunition wrapped in aluminum foil and concealed among bundles of clothing. The container was headed for Cap-Haïtien, and shipping records listed Dossous as the sender.

Chris Gothner for WPLG Local 10 first reported the story, citing the criminal complaint and court documents. The shipment was labeled as “Lot of used household goods & personal effects,” and investigators wrote that “the firearms and ammunition were packed and wrapped in a manner consistent with someone trying to disguise and/or conceal the items.”

According to WPLG Local 10, Dossous told investigators during a June 13 interview that he had shipped containers to Haiti for more than 20 years and claimed he was unaware of the firearms in the shipment.

However, a confidential informant later provided investigators with a recorded phone call in which Dossous allegedly said, “They going to get my fingerprints on them (guns) because I touched them… because I was there when he was doing the stuff… I know about the guns, I touched the guns.”

After his arrest, Dossous reportedly overheard agents discussing a separate smuggling investigation and said, “I know my prints are going to be on the guns because I touched them. I’m not going to lie about that,” according to the Affidavit.

Dossous was released on a $300,000 personal surety bond and was ordered to surrender his passport, avoid transportation hubs, and adhere to a home curfew, among other conditions.

As of this writing, no public statement has been issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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