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US judge sentences weapons tycoon to 30 years prison
New York (AFP) Feb 24, 2009 A US judge on Tuesday sentenced a veteran, Syrian-born arms dealer to 30 years prison over a plot to sell weapons to Colombian guerrillas. Monzer al-Kassar, 63, "was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to be used to kill Americans in Colombia," the US prosecutor's office in New York said. The judge also sentenced Kassar's associate, Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, from Chile, to 25 years in prison. Kassar was dubbed the "Prince of Marbella" for his lavish lifestyle while a longtime resident of the Spanish resort town. In November, a New York court found him guilty of conspiring to export anti-aircraft weapons and support Colombia's FARC rebels, murder US officers, and launder money. The acting administrator for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Michele Leonhart, said Kassar headed "a global munitions empire that armed and funded terrorist organizations for decades." The United States agreed in extraditing al-Kassar from Spain not to impose death or life sentences. The pair were caught in a sting operation as they plotted to sell machine guns, ammunition, and missiles to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist group battling the US-backed government there. Unaware that their contacts were US Drug Enforcement Agency sources, they organized a deal worth millions of dollars between February 2006 and June 2007, US prosecutors said. The agents told al-Kassar and Moreno Godoy they needed the weapons to shoot down US helicopters in Colombia. Related Links The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Analysis: European defense contracts
Brussels (UPI) Jan 26, 2009 French arms exports soared by almost 15 percent in 2008, the French government announced earlier this month. France hopes to further boost its international arms exports by finally creating overseas demand for its long-criticized Rafale fighter jet, manufactured by Dassault. |
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