Music producer 'Countree Hype' pleads guilty in US to smuggling 30 guns to Jamaica

A Jamaican music producer has pleaded guilty in the United States to smuggling 30 firearms and ammunition to Jamaica by concealing the weapons inside furniture shipments, according to the United States authorities.

Taugea Ubert Dayes, 33, who performs under the stage name ‘Countree Hype,’ pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the United States and one count of delivering a firearm to a common carrier without written notice. 

He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge. 

Court documents filed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida show that in March 2025, Dayes concealed 30 firearms, 32 magazines and more than 100 rounds of ammunition inside five office chairs before shipping them from the United States to Jamaica. 

Investigators said the weapons were wrapped in tinfoil and foam and sewn into the cushions of the chairs. 

The shipment was sent via a freight service on March 10, 2025, and was later intercepted by Jamaican law enforcement in Kingston eight days later. 

US Attorney Jason A Reding Quiñones said illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence and instability. 

“This defendant concealed dozens of firearms inside furniture and attempted to ship them overseas to evade detection and arm the black market in Jamaica,” he said. 

The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division, and other international agencies. 

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