This Is Why Gun Owners Should Always Double Check Their Bags Before Flying

A Georgia man is looking at a potential 15-year prison sentence after flying to Jamaica with two loaded magazines in his luggage. 

Igor Andrusceak says both he and TSA employees failed to notice the 15-round magazines when he went through airport security, and he apparently didn’t discover them during his trip either. Instead, Jamaican security officials spotted the mags as he and his family were leaving the country after a vacation, and what was an idyllic getaway quickly turned into a nightmare.

Andrusceak understands Jamaica’s strict gun laws. He also believes the potential punishment is far too harsh for someone who brought no firearm and says he intended no harm.

“I feel foolish,” Andrusceak said. “Like, you understand how bad I felt for making that mistake.”

He is not trying to escape responsibility. Igor is asking that his intent and the circumstances be considered before one mistake takes him away from his wife and three children.

What’s really wild is that Andrusceak says he knew he needed to thoroughly check his bags before packing, but he still managed to miss the magazines. 

“I have a pocketknife I pulled that out of there,” he said. “I pulled my gun out of there because that’s my everyday carry, so I put that all in my safe. I even pulled out the nail clippers because I didn’t want any issues going through TSA.”

He believed the bag was empty.

“Or so I thought,” Andrusceak explained. “And then I just put my laptop, my iPad, my chargers, just the basics.”

According to Andrusceak, the mags were in a mesh compartment that isn’t visible once items are placed in the part of the bag meant to store a laptop. I don’t know how you miss that if you’re pulling everything out of your backpack, but I really don’t think that Andrusceak meant to bring 30 rounds of ammunition with him on vacation either.

After airport security spotted the magazines, Andrusceak was taken into custody. After less than 24 hours he had his first court hearing, where a judge explained that under Jamaican law there is a mandatory minimum 15-year sentence for anyone caught with “unauthorized” ammunition. Andrusceak was able to fly back home after posting $3,200 bond, but says he’s terrified about what the future holds. 

“I’m fearful of going back,” he said. 

Andrusceak said he hopes surveillance video and TSA screening records from the Atlanta airport will demonstrate that he did not intend to transport ammunition internationally. He also hopes the fact that the backpack allegedly cleared screening in Atlanta will support his account.

The easiest way to avoid a situation like this is to pack a different bag than the one you use to transport your guns and ammunition. Even then, I’d still double check my luggage to make sure the Ammo Fairy hadn’t dropped any surprises in there. Give yourself plenty of time to pack, too. Andrusceak didn’t say if he was rushing to put everything together before heading to the airport, but traveling with three kids can be a hectic experience, and if he was pressed for time it’s a little more understandable that he didn’t spot the magazines in the bottom of his bag. 

Will a judge understand, though, and will it even make a difference if they do acknowledge that Andrusceak made an innocent mistake? He told a Georgia TV station that when he had his first hearing, the judge was sympathetic to the point of tears, but still told him that even though it’s a “foolish law,” they have to abide by the 15-year mandatory minimum. 

Hopefully there’s some lesser charge that Andrusceak can plead to. I guess he could always take his chances and just not show up for his court date, but Jamaica and the United States do have extradition treaties in place, so if authorities really wanted to go after him they could bring him back to the island by force. 

Jamaica’s restrictive gun laws have hardly made the island a safe place, incidentally. Things are getting better, but the homicide rate in 2025 was still about 23 per 100,000, which is about five times higher than the U.S. I would think Jamaican authorities have much bigger issues to deal with than a tourist who was caught with 30 rounds of ammunition as he was leaving the country, but if I were in Andrusceak’s shoes I’d be worried about my future too. 

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