The U.S. Arrests Kyrgyz Citizen on Charges of Illegal Arms Trafficking
World
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a Kyrgyz citizen identified as S.J. is suspected of participating in an illegal arms supply scheme to Russia. According to charges filed in the Brooklyn Federal Court, S.J. collaborated with American arms suppliers at a firearms fair in Las Vegas and developed a plan to export weapons to Russia.
Investigative data indicate that since 2020, he has been supplying weapons to Russia in violation of U.S. Department of Commerce sanctions.
As the head of a Kyrgyz-based arms company, S.J. signed a five-year contract worth $900,000 with a company in Virginia. According to the contract, the weapons were to be sold exclusively within Kyrgyzstan. However, the suspect devised a scheme to re-export American weapons to Russia through another Kyrgyz company.
During the investigation, it was revealed that in July 2022, S.J. conducted financial transactions worth $67,000 with another company in Kyrgyzstan. As part of this deal, he transferred over $65,000 to an American company to purchase 25 semi-automatic rifles. The weapons were shipped to Kyrgyzstan via John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
S.J. was fully aware that the final destination of the weapons was Russia. In August 2022, he received documents confirming that the weapons were intended for his Russian partners. In November of that year, the CEO of a Russian company informed the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) tax authorities that the weapons had been purchased in Kyrgyzstan and acquired by a Moscow-based company. These documents became key evidence in the investigation of illegal operations.
The illegal export organized by S.J. is part of broader attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Russia. The U.S. and the European Union have banned the supply of weapons and military technology to Russia, yet some businessmen continue to seek ways to bypass these restrictions.
If convicted, S.J. faces up to 30 years in prison. This not only demonstrates the severity of the punishment for illegal arms trafficking but also highlights the serious consequences of violating international geopolitical sanctions.
As the head of a Kyrgyz-based arms company, S.J. signed a five-year contract worth $900,000 with a company in Virginia. According to the contract, the weapons were to be sold exclusively within Kyrgyzstan. However, the suspect devised a scheme to re-export American weapons to Russia through another Kyrgyz company.
During the investigation, it was revealed that in July 2022, S.J. conducted financial transactions worth $67,000 with another company in Kyrgyzstan. As part of this deal, he transferred over $65,000 to an American company to purchase 25 semi-automatic rifles. The weapons were shipped to Kyrgyzstan via John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
S.J. was fully aware that the final destination of the weapons was Russia. In August 2022, he received documents confirming that the weapons were intended for his Russian partners. In November of that year, the CEO of a Russian company informed the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) tax authorities that the weapons had been purchased in Kyrgyzstan and acquired by a Moscow-based company. These documents became key evidence in the investigation of illegal operations.
The illegal export organized by S.J. is part of broader attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Russia. The U.S. and the European Union have banned the supply of weapons and military technology to Russia, yet some businessmen continue to seek ways to bypass these restrictions.
If convicted, S.J. faces up to 30 years in prison. This not only demonstrates the severity of the punishment for illegal arms trafficking but also highlights the serious consequences of violating international geopolitical sanctions.
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