BASSETERRE, St Kitts – TWO Canadian nationals residing at Colquhoun’s Estate, Nevis, have been charged in connection with the seizure of firearms and ammunition at their residence in July.
Robyn Kasha and Kevin Look were each charged at the Cotton Ground Police Station on September 22 with Importation of Firearms, Importation of Ammunition, Possession of Firearms and Possession of Ammunition.
The charges follow the July 9 seizure, which sparked questions about how the weapons entered the Federation and whether the couple had sought permission to import them.
At a subsequent press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police Cromwell Henry said the couple had, in fact, submitted an application for an import permit before the weapons were shipped.
He said the application included a list of the firearms and their serial numbers, copies of the couple’s Canadian firearm licences and passport information.
According to Henry, however, the application was not processed because it was overlooked among a large volume of emails received around the time of the St. Kitts Music Festival.
“Somehow we missed it among the list of emails that we got. It was leading up to music festivals, so we would have had quite an influx of emails. And so, we were not able to process that application before the weapons arrived.”
Henry also said the firearms had been declared to Customs and Excise when the container arrived, but that information was not communicated to police. As a result, officers initially believed the weapons had been brought into the Federation without the required approval.
Police subsequently indicated that, given the documentation submitted by the couple and the circumstances surrounding the application, the matter would not result in charges by the Police Force.
The Customs and Excise Department was then left to determine whether charges should be pursued.
The latest development, however, sees Kasha and Look facing four charges each in connection with the importation and possession of the firearms and ammunition.
