Popular Antiguan tattoo artist and social media personality Oszie Kelvin Russell, widely known as “Mongoose,” has been released from His Majesty’s Prison after serving a reduced sentence for illegal firearm possession.
Russell walked free on Monday, July 27, bringing an end to a case that drew significant public attention following his arrest in 2025.
The 40-year-old pleaded guilty in April 2025 to unlawful possession of an unlicensed 9mm Glock 80 pistol, 10 rounds of ammunition, and a black suppressor.
Police arrested Russell after executing a search warrant at his Lightfoot home on April 22, 2025. During the operation, officers alleged that he attempted to dispose of the firearm by throwing it from a bedroom window before it was recovered.
Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel initially sentenced Russell to three years and six months in prison for the firearm offence, with additional one-year sentences imposed for possession of the ammunition and suppressor in accordance with the sentencing guidelines.
However, the sentence was later challenged before the Court of Appeal. In March 2026, attorneys Wendel Alexander and Andrew Okola successfully argued that the magistrate had improperly increased the sentence by adding time to each offence.
The appellate court agreed and reduced Russell’s prison term from three years and six months to one year, 10 months and 20 days.
Having completed the revised sentence, Russell was released from prison on Monday.
Known professionally as “Mongoose,” Russell has built a large following over the years through his tattoo artistry and online presence, making his arrest, conviction and subsequent appeal one of the island’s most closely watched criminal cases.
