Authorities confiscated three firearms at Princess Juliana International Airport. Acting Justice Minister Marinka Gumbs says the Public Prosecutor’s Office decided to release the traveler.
PHILIPSBURG:--- SMN News has confirmed that the traveler arrested and later released after three firearms were found in her luggage at Princess Juliana International Airport is the wife of former Saba Island Governor Jonathan Johnson. Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed her identity.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the woman arrived on a flight from Saba on Tuesday, November 3. Authorities confiscated all three firearms and released her from police custody after questioning. The office said the investigation into the firearms' importation was ongoing. It gave no reason for her release.
Gumbs says she did not authorize the release
Acting Justice Minister Marinka Gumbs told SMN News on Sunday, November 8, that she did not sign off on the traveler’s release. Gumbs said no document authorizing the release went to her or to Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling's office. She said the decision on whether to keep the traveler in custody or release her rested with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Gumbs clarified that her earlier remarks described the usual process for documents requiring a ministerial signature while Tackling is away. She said that process did not apply in this case.
Gumbs said she understood that MP Lyndon Lewis had submitted written questions about the case and that she would respond after gathering the information needed. She said she had made inquiries within the justice chain but had not yet asked the prosecutor directly why the traveler was released.
Questions remain about onward travel to Bonaire
Airport security reportedly alerted Customs, whose officers took possession of the bag and opened it with the traveler present. Before she reached the Philipsburg Police Station, senior officers of the St. Maarten Police Force (KPSM) reportedly called Customs to demand an explanation for her arrest.
Police and prosecutors reportedly discussed keeping the traveler in custody before allowing her to continue to Bonaire. SMN News has yet to verify whether authorities formally referred the case to Bonaire or whether authorities there accepted it.
No one is above the law
The same standards should apply to every traveler. SMN News has found no evidence that Jonathan Johnson intervened or that the family relationship influenced the decision.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office should explain what factors led to the release, whether it imposed any conditions on the traveler’s onward journey, and which jurisdiction is now handling the case. Those answers would allow the public to assess whether authorities applied the same standards they would use in a comparable case.
Correction, November 8, 2026 — An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Acting Justice Minister Marinka Gumbs approved the traveler’s release. Gumbs told SMN News that she did not authorize the release and that the decision rested with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.