jdelpiero
11-10-2006, 09:21 PM
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean has been convicted for trying to smuggle 20,000 assault rifles from Bulgaria to Syria last year.
45-year-old B R Chaandrran was found guilty in abetting the unauthorised brokering of the items.
He had arranged for the deal when the company he was working for, Dannhauser, a company specialising in weapons and ammunition, refused to supply a Syrian arms dealer with the rifles.
Chaandrran had tried to seal the deal with the help of 30-year-old Colin Mak, a managing director of a Swiss computer software company.
Following a tip-off, Singapore Customs officials found incriminating E-mails in Mr Mak's computer between May and September last year.
Even though the rifles did not pass through Singapore and the delivery did not happen, both men were convicted because brokering such deals without registering with Singapore Customs is against the law.
The AKMS rifles involved belong to the AK-47 rifle family and the deal was reportedly worth US$3.4m.
Sentencing on Chaandrran will be passed on November 14.
Mak has been sentenced to nine months jail in July. - CNA /dt
45-year-old B R Chaandrran was found guilty in abetting the unauthorised brokering of the items.
He had arranged for the deal when the company he was working for, Dannhauser, a company specialising in weapons and ammunition, refused to supply a Syrian arms dealer with the rifles.
Chaandrran had tried to seal the deal with the help of 30-year-old Colin Mak, a managing director of a Swiss computer software company.
Following a tip-off, Singapore Customs officials found incriminating E-mails in Mr Mak's computer between May and September last year.
Even though the rifles did not pass through Singapore and the delivery did not happen, both men were convicted because brokering such deals without registering with Singapore Customs is against the law.
The AKMS rifles involved belong to the AK-47 rifle family and the deal was reportedly worth US$3.4m.
Sentencing on Chaandrran will be passed on November 14.
Mak has been sentenced to nine months jail in July. - CNA /dt