Man Traveling To Nigeria Stopped From Bringing Gun Onto Flight At Dulles Airport

HERNDON, VA — Customs officials at Washington Dulles International Airport stopped a Nigerian man from bringing a handgun, ammunition and a taser onto an outbound flight on March 17, according to a release.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were examining outbound baggage when they found a Taurus G2c 9mm Luger handgun, two 12-round magazines, 25 rounds of ammo, and a taser inside a lock box in the baggage of traveler on his way to Nigeria.

CBP officers determined that the man, who was a Nigerian citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident, did not have the proper export licenses to take the handgun out of the U.S. and detained the handgun ammo and accessories. The traveler was then allowed to continue on his journey.

Before leaving the U.S., travelers wishing to export firearms and ammunition must complete a Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad at CBP port of entry. They must also fill out an Electronic Export Information form, which will allow them to temporarily export a firearm that they own. In addition, travelers also have to obtain an export license from the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security or an Application and Permit for Permanent Exportation of Firearms from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

After BIS confirmed that the Nigerian traveler did not possess an export permit, CBP confiscated the firearm and other items as a violation of U.S. firearms export control laws.

“Customs and Border Protection wants to ensure that people who intend to travel from the United States with their firearms do so lawfully so that they can enjoy a problem-free departure or return to the United States,” said Daniel Escobedo, CBP’s area port director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., in a release. “Oftentimes, firearms being smuggled out of the United States are destined to the hands of transnational criminal organizations who use those weapons to terrorize or hurt innocent victims. CBP’s border security mission helps to protect the defenseless by intercepting illegally exported firearms.”