‘Countree Hype’ pleads guilty to trafficking guns from America to Jamaica

Faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing

Durrant Pate/Contributor

A Jamaican singer, 33-year-old Taugea Ubert Dayes, who performs under his stage name “Countree Hype,” has pleaded guilty to trafficking guns and ammunition from the U.S. to Jamaica.

In confirming the guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida says Dayes admitted smuggling goods from the U.S. and delivering a firearm to a common carrier without written notice. 

Prosecutors say Dayes concealed 30 firearms, 32 magazines, and over 100 rounds of ammunition inside five office chairs back in March of 2025. The items were wrapped in tinfoil and foam and sewn into the seat cushions before the chairs were shipped to Jamaica.

Long prison time awaits

Jamaican authorities later seized the firearms in Kingston. Dayes, a Jamaican national, faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing. 

After the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida issued a statement saying, “This defendant concealed dozens of firearms inside furniture and attempted to ship them overseas to evade detection and arm the black market in Jamaica. Firearms smuggling is not a paperwork offence.

Continuing, he said, “illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence far beyond our borders…“It is a public safety threat that fuels violence, empowers criminal organisations, and destabilises communities. We will continue working with our international law enforcement partners to stop the flow of illegal weapons at its source.”