Click to view full size

A Florida woman became the fourth person to be convicted in a US court for attempting to smuggle a shipment of high-powered rifles, handguns, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Florida through Piarco International Airport in April 2021, in one of the largest single seizures through a legal port of entry.

A statement from the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida on June 23, said Hillsborough County High School teacher Shannon Lee Samlalsingh, 46, of Tampa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to making false statements to a gun dealer. Samlalsingh faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set, the statement said.

The announcement made by US attorney Gregory Kehoe said according to a plea deal, sometime between 2020 and 2021, Samlalsingh bought several guns and gun components from licensed gun dealers in Hillsborough County and Miami-Dade County falsely stating on forms that the weapons and parts were for her use.