Tourist forgets ammo in luggage, faces 15 years behind bars

An American tourist facing the possibility of a mandatory 15-year prison sentence in Jamaica after two loaded ammunition magazines were allegedly found in his luggage is hoping his explanation will work in his favour when he returns to court.

Igor Andrusceak, of Athens, Georgia, was on a family vacation in Jamaica with his wife and three children when the ammunition was reportedly discovered at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on July 28.

The two magazines reportedly contained 15 rounds each.

Andrusceak has told US media that the ammunition ended up in his luggage by mistake, explaining that he had removed his firearm and other everyday items from his backpack before travelling but failed to notice that the magazines had remained in a side pocket.

“I pulled my gun out of there because that’s my everyday carry, right? So, I put that all in my safe,” he said.

He said he also removed other items, including a nail clip, from the backpack before leaving for Jamaica.

Andrusceak reportedly said the magazines were not detected when his luggage went through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening in Atlanta.

According to his account, he was initially told he could leave Jamaica but was later detained at the Frontier Airlines gate as he prepared to board his flight home.

He was subsequently arrested and taken to the Freeport police station in St James, where he spent less than 24 hours in custody before appearing in court and being granted bail.

Andrusceak is scheduled to return to court on October 29.

The case has drawn attention to Jamaica’s strict laws governing firearms and ammunition, which can carry severe penalties regardless of whether a visitor claims the ammunition was brought into the country unintentionally.

If convicted of unauthorised possession of ammunition, Andrusceak could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, making his next court appearance a critical one.

For now, the American remains hopeful that his explanation that the magazines were accidentally left in his luggage will be considered by the court.

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