Man Claims Ignorance of Federal Law After CBP Seizes 8 Pounds of Marijuana at St. Thomas Airport

Felix Joseph Walwyn was arrested after CBP officers found vacuum-sealed marijuana in his checked luggage on a Spirit Airlines flight; he reportedly claimed the cannabis was for a party and said he didn’t know it was illegal to bring it into the territory.

ST. THOMAS — A man on an inbound flight from Orlando was arrested after Customs and Border Protection officials say they found marijuana concealed in his suitcase.

According to court documents, on July 11, CBP officers were inspecting the checked luggage of an inbound Spirit Airlines flight from Orlando, Florida when they noticed x-ray anomalies in a black soft-cover suitcase which appeared to belong to a Felix Joseph Walwyn. When officers opened the suitcase, they found "clear vacuum sealed bags containing hard objects,” according to the affidavit filed in support of the charges.

As is customary, the suitcase was then placed on the luggage carousel, and officers watched to see who would come to claim it. They saw as a man picked up the suitcase and approached him as he neared the exit of the baggage claim area. Confirming his identity as Walwyn, officers then escorted him to the secondary screening area for further inspection. They again opened the suitcase, unwrapping the clothing within to reveal the bags filled with a green leafy substance. The substance, approximately 3.94 kilograms in total, returned positive results for marijuana when tested.

Walwyn, when questioned, reportedly told Homeland Security Investigations agents that he did not realize that it was illegal under federal law to transport marijuana. He thought that cannabis was legal in the territory, and therefore brought eight pounds of it with him when he visited, he told agents. He reportedly insisted that he had no plans to sell the product; all of the marijuana was for the use of himself and his friends at a party.