Nashville Officer Arrested With Firearm in Mexico
allen griggs
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policetribune.com
Nashville Cop Arrested In Cancun Airport For Gun In Luggage, Sent To Mexican Jail
July 26, 2022
Cancun, MEXICO – A Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer on his honeymoon was arrested after he arrived at the Cancun airport with a handgun packed in his luggage.
MNPD Officer Lemandries ‘LD’ Deshun Hawes was married on July 8 and then he and his new bride, Khristian Hawes, flew to Mexico to start their honeymoon the next morning, Scoop Nashville reported.
Officer Hawes packed an unloaded, personally-owned pistol in his checked luggage and declared it to the airline when he checked his bag, according to MNPD.
But despite the fact that the airline may have made a mistake and the weapon was checked on a flight to Mexico as an oversight, it is still illegal for a non-citizen to bring a gun into that country.
When Officer Hawes’ flight landed in Cancun, he was taken into custody and booked into a Mexican jail, Scoop Nashville reported.
His wife posted to social media that it was all a big misunderstanding and that her new husband had believed he could legally bring the firearm into Mexico.
Khristian Hawes posted about the incident on her Facebook page and expressed her anger with people who thought it was funny a police officer had been arrested in a foreign country, Scoop Nashville reported.
“Since y’all find so much laughter at this !!!! AMERICAN AIRLINE APPROVED MY HUSBAND TO LEAVE THE WEAPON IN HIS CHECKED BAG AS WE WERE HEADED TO BOARD AT THE MEMPHIS AIRPORT,” the angry woman wrote.
Khristian Hawes posted that her husband hadn’t planned to bring his weapon and was calling someone to pick it up at the Memphis airport when the Memphis airport police told him that all he needed to do was fill out a form and put a lock on his suitcase.
She said the Memphis airport police did ask for their final destination and didn’t say anything about it being illegal, Scoop Nashville reported.
“Nevertheless, it is considered a federal offense to bring a gun into Mexico,” MNPD spokesperson Noelle Yazdani said.
Officer Hawes was a Memphis police officer until he transferred to the Nashville police force about a year ago, WTVF reported.
He graduated from the MNPD academy in February.
MNPD confirmed that Officer Hawes was supposed to have a hearing in Mexican court on Monday, Scoop Nashville reported.
However, no information on what happened at that hearing has been reported.
Bringing a firearm into Mexico is a federal crime and if convicted, Officer Hawes could face a standard five-year prison sentence.
Comments
AMERICAN AIRLINE APPROVED MY HUSBAND TO LEAVE THE WEAPON IN HIS CHECKED BAG AS WE WERE HEADED TO BOARD AT THE MEMPHIS AIRPORT,” the angry woman wrote.
Mexican authorities won't care what an American airline said.
This reminds me of the case a decade ago of the US Marine who asked US Customs if he could bring a shotgun into Mexico. Customs' said yes, the Marine drove across the border and was, of course, arrested for importing a firearm into Mexico.
What a crappy honeymoon. This will be painful or expensive or - most likely - both.
Not so bright...
why didn't he just put it in a locker at the airport?????
He will be in jail a long time, and his family will pay a lot of money. It is a cottage industry in Mexico, getting money from Gringos who broke the law.
Taking a firearm to Mexico is about as stupid as going through airport customs in Russia with marijuana in your suitcase.
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse".
Sucks to be him, but you would think one would pay attention to what is in their suitcase, especially when going to a foreign country. Hash vape in Russia ring a bell?
Some police believe they are simply exempt from laws.
sad but of course the cartel has all the guns they could need and kill thousands but like what the dems want here
go after the good guys
I do agree he had to know better or at least ask some one beside a counter worker might as well ask the kids at the big box store about it a lawyer and boat load of bribe money ( and a jar of Vaseline for now ) and he will be back home
another reason thousands of illegals should be deported daily
Maybe he could get Brittney Griner to make a plea to Brandon for him. (if he is a whittie (honky) he is most likely on his own
What an ignoramus! Probably young, and unread, and from a sheltered upbringing.
Everyone knows, or should know, that it's illegal to bring a firearm, or even ONE round of ammunition, into Mexico. Whatever airline clerk told him he can, needs to be re-educated.
Several years ago, we were in Del Rio, and wanted to go to Ciudad Acuna to shop and eat dinner. There were guns in my truck, which presented a problem. I knew I could not take the guns into Mexico, and leaving them unattended in the truck was also a bad idea. Should I rent a hotel room and stash my guns there? Probably not. Should my truck be searched, a sharp-eyed Federale might just find where I dropped a single round of .22 LR ammo, and that would be bad. So, we found several businesses providing a useful service to us cautious tourists. I parked the truck in their fenced and manned enclosure, and locked it up. Then we got into their van, an ancient Ford Aerostar with over 400.000 miles on it, and rode over to Acuna. Vans from these companies made forays back and forth across the river, dropping off and picking up customers. When we wanted to come back, all we had to do was flag down a van from the company we used and we rode back to their lot. IIRC, this service cost $10.00, and that was in 2003 or 2004.
That stated, this was the last time I was ever in Mexico, and I expect it will always be the last time.
Know fellow that went on a white wing dove hunt in Mexico some time ago.
Guide and other hunters were driving along and here comes the Federalies or something like that.
All were getting ready for the slammer but guide said just sit tight. Law caught up with them, guide jabbered a few words in Spanish, handed them a case of shotgun shells and away they went.
That was his fee for guide service and as the drove away the Feds were blasting away having a good time.
Found out they could not shoot their issued ammo but the "donation" was well received for personal use.
Nunn that was a smart move to swap vehicles, in case you overlooked some ammo. There was a case several years ago, an American guy was driving across the border. Mexican border cops found a single live 9mm cartridge in his trunk.
He spent 6 months in prison, and his family spent tens of thousands of dollars.
Mexican jails are really bad.
Stupid is as stupid does..........taking a firearm into Kanada or Mejico is just asking for trouble.
Guess that cop had his "fat pants" on............i.e.........I am LE so I am exempt.
Call Rambo!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hunted quail in Mexico for several consecutive years. I used a guide service just south of San Fernando. Each year after I would book the trip I had to fill out and submit paperwork to the Mexican government to bring my own shotgun across the border, (at Brownsville). Took about 90 days to complete and each year I was issued a permit to import my gun. There is no instrument available to import shells. I always purchased several cases of Mexican shells which worked fine. Always had a good time and killed a lot of birds.
Who among us has not carried when in Mexico? Be a fool not to! Don
well everybody knows guns in Mexico is Malo Juju
I live in Nevada most of the time, and feel the same way about California as you do of Mexico.
Not so "Fast And Furious".
Here's the latest:
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/nashville-police-officer-arrested-in-mexico-over-gun-charge-now-back-in-us
Thanks for the update. I would love to know how much they paid to get him back.
... We used to rent lockers on the American side of the border at the Border Patrol checkpoint to stash our guns before we went across, never a problem...only an idiot would take a gun into Mexico, accident or on purpose...the guys gun is history, he will never get it back...some high ranking mucky-muck has already laid claim to it...even the "regular" cops in Mexico dont carry guns...the cops dressed like General Patton are the only ones you see with a gun, other than the Federales...
I travelled all over Mexico by car, and got stopped by Federales at a dozen roadblocks. Got thoroughly searched.
Scary. Back then, 30 years ago, the Federales loved the 1911 Colt, and they all carried one in a leather shoulder holster.
Funny how Mexico and Canada deal with an Americans.
Can't run their country's, but sure love sticking it to an American.
99.9% of the people in both Mexico and Canada are great people, but their governments, well.... not so great.
To bad he missed a great opportunity to learn Spanish in a total immersion environment.