A DeKalb County man recently pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle a dozen firearms and about 36,000 rounds of ammunition to Haiti, authorities said.
Jacques Mathieu, 51, of Tucker, tried to hide the guns and ammo inside a car that he intended to ship to the island, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Mathieu pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to export firearms and ammunition to the Republic of Haiti.
In September 2019, Mathieu tried to ship a 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara to Haiti from the Port of Palm Beach in Florida, the release said. He reported on export shipping documents that the car contained a dozen boxes of used clothing.
However, federal agents searched the vehicle and found the hidden contraband, the release said. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.
“Alert agents found the weapons and ammunition and stopped the shipment before it reached its intended destination," U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said in the release.
Mathieu, a Haitian national, will be sentenced Jan. 8, 2021.
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