A 34-year-old businessman from St Elizabeth has been arrested and charged after authorities allegedly discovered more than US$270,000 concealed inside boxes of bath soap in his luggage at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
The accused, Shawn Walker of Crawford district, faces charges of possession of criminal property, concealment of criminal property, and failure to declare the transportation of cash into or out of Jamaica to the relevant authorities.
According to the Financial Investigations Division (FID), Walker arrived in Jamaica on June 7 aboard a United Airlines flight from New Jersey. During routine screening procedures, officers from the Jamaica Customs Agency reportedly became suspicious of items found in his luggage.
A subsequent search allegedly uncovered 28 sealed boxes of bath soap containing large amounts of United States currency. The cash was later counted and totalled US$270,580.
Investigators stated that Walker was unable to provide satisfactory evidence demonstrating that the funds had been legally obtained.
On Monday, members of the Constabulary Financial Unit conducted a formal interview with Walker in the presence of his attorney, Donnovan Collins. Following the interview, he was formally charged.
Walker has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear before the St James Parish Court on June 16.
Cassell Dunkley, director of investigations at the Jamaica Customs Agency, emphasized that the seizure demonstrates the value of strong collaboration between border security and law enforcement agencies in detecting and preventing financial crimes.
