Guns hidden under lead plates, bullets in coolers. Inside a Miami smuggling case

Federal agents were already watching Bidjaikoemar “Jerry” Nanhoe as he emerged from Miami International Airport after arriving from Suriname last month.

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Two days later, investigators say, they followed him across South Florida as he prepared an outwardly unremarkable shipment bound for the small South American nation: four plastic storage bins, two coolers and a chair.

But when federal agents searched the containers at a Miami shipping warehouse, they say they found an arsenal hidden among ordinary household goods and beneath pieces of lead: nine rifles, six pistols, more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition and dozens of firearm components, including 18 unfinished, unserialized AR-style lower receivers that can be used to build privately assembled firearms commonly known as “ghost guns.”

Nanhoe is now facing federal charges in Miami of smuggling goods from the United States, delivering firearms to a common carrier without providing notice and trafficking in firearms. The charges are contained in a criminal complaint supported by an affidavit from a Homeland Security Investigations special agent.

The case offers a glimpse into a multi-agency investigation involving HSI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Miami Beach police — and leaves unanswered some potentially significant questions: What initially drew investigators to Nanhoe? Where did the firearms come from? And who was ultimately supposed to receive them in Suriname?

Nanhoe remains in federal custody following a brief court proceeding on Friday, Sept. 11. His next scheduled appearance is Sept. 22, when a magistrate judge is expected to address the status of his legal representation.

According to the affidavit, HSI agents assigned to a Miami International Airport cargo task force, working with ATF agents and Miami Beach police detectives, began surveilling Nanhoe after he arrived at MIA aboard Surinam Airways Flight 421 on Aug. 25.

The affidavit does not explain what initially drew investigators’ attention to him.

Agents followed Nanhoe as he drove to a Publix in Weston, where he met a person identified in court records only as “Individual 1.” The two then went to a nearby storage facility before Nanhoe eventually checked into a hotel in Sunrise, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance resumed early on Aug. 27.

At about 9:30 that morning, investigators watched Nanhoe and Individual 1 arrive at Seven Winds Shipping, at 8160 NW 71st St. in Miami, where they unloaded about seven pieces of cargo, including black plastic storage bins, two coolers and a large cardboard box.

Nanhoe then drove north to PJ Armory in Coconut Creek, where investigators say he purchased a large quantity of ammunition and ammunition canisters. Notably, the affidavit does not say agents saw Nanhoe purchase the nine rifles or six pistols later discovered in the shipment.

From there, agents followed him to a Home Depot in Davie, where he purchased several tools, including a Ryobi leaf blower. Investigators also observed ammunition canisters in his vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Nanhoe returned to Seven Winds that afternoon. Agents say they watched him place ammunition canisters inside white coolers that were part of the shipment.

An HSI agent subsequently obtained permission from the shipping company’s owner and manager to conduct a border search of the cargo. A manager told investigators the shipment belonged to “Jerry Nanhoe” and was destined for Suriname.

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The shipping declaration signed by Nanhoe described the contents simply as “General Cargo 4 HDX Box, 2 Cooler, 1 Chair,” according to the affidavit. The paperwork listed “Nanhoe Enterprise” in connection with both the delivery and receipt of the shipment, with Jerry Nanhoe identified as the shipper.

What investigators say they found inside was markedly different.

One cooler contained the Ryobi leaf blowers sitting on top of an ammunition canister and boxes of ammunition. In one black storage bin, agents found pistols beneath a lead plate. Another contained a rifle beneath a piece of lead, while firearm parts were mixed with other merchandise, including a hair dryer.

The HSI agent who wrote the affidavit said that, based on his training and experience, firearms traffickers use lead sheets or other pieces of metal, as well as appliances and metal tools, to conceal contraband and evade law-enforcement detection.

When agents completed their inventory, they counted nine rifles, six pistols, 18 polymer 80% AR-type lower receivers, 14 complete AR-type upper receivers, 5,140 rounds of ammunition, 59 magazines and other firearm parts. None had been declared on the shipping paperwork, according to the affidavit.

The 18 lower receivers were described in the affidavit as unfinished polymer components that had not been serialized like ordinary completed lower receivers. Such unfinished receivers can be used to assemble privately made firearms commonly referred to as “ghost guns.”

HSI Special Agent Jason Carmona swore out the criminal complaint on Sept. 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique A. Lett. Carmona said he has worked as an HSI special agent since 2021 and is assigned to the Miami International Airport Air Cargo Border Enforcement Security Task Force.

Nanhoe returned to court on Friday, Sept. 11, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres for what had been scheduled as a pretrial detention hearing, but no hearing was held. Torres granted Nanhoe’s oral request to continue the proceeding, and Nanhoe remained detained.

Prosecutors and the defense stipulated to a $250,000 corporate surety bond subject to a Nebbia requirement, which generally requires scrutiny of the source of assets offered to secure a defendant’s release. The parties retained the right to revisit the bond conditions.

Miami defense attorney David A. Howard represented Nanhoe at the Sept. 11 proceeding, although court records show that Howard filed a temporary notice of appearance. Contacted by the Miami Herald, Howard declined to comment on the case.

Nanhoe’s next court date is a “report re counsel” hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 1:30 p.m. before the duty magistrate judge in Miami.

The public filings do not explain the role of Individual 1 beyond describing the person’s movements with Nanhoe during the surveillance. Nor do they identify the source of the completed firearms or disclose who investigators believe was ultimately supposed to receive the weapons after they reached Suriname.

Carmona noted in his affidavit that it was submitted to establish probable cause and “does not represent every fact known to law enforcement.”

Those gaps could become important as the case proceeds. For now, the court record describes a shipment declared as storage boxes, coolers and a chair that federal agents say instead contained firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and an assortment of unfinished receivers and other gun parts.

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