The American authorities are investigating a network that managed to illegally send ammunition produced in the USA to Russia, using Italy and Kazakhstan to conceal the final destination of the shipments. One of the main individuals involved, a sales director of an Italian ammunition company, has been convicted in the United States.
According to American prosecutors, the ammunition was legally marketed by US companies to a specialized firm in Italy. The shipments could reach Italy, but the law prohibited the bullets from being subsequently exported to other countries without authorization, according to Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
The Sales Director of the Italian company would have violated these rules. After receiving the ammunition in Italy, it was shipped to Kazakhstan, and a large part subsequently ended up in Russia.
American investigators claim that the network members tried to conceal the true destination of the transports by dividing them into smaller lots, in order to avoid the authorities’ checks.
Prosecutors cited as an example a shipment that contained approximately 100,000 bullets. In total, ammunition and other controlled products worth over $540,000 would have been exported illegally.
Maxim Larin, one of those involved in the operation, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate American export control laws and attempted violation of arms export laws.
Although his actions carried a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, Larin received a sentence of 18 months.
Details, HERE