A Ghanaian-born U.S. Army Major, Kojo Owusu Dartey, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for illegally smuggling firearms from the United States to Ghana.
He will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Dartey, 42, was convicted on April 23, 2024, of multiple offences, including conspiracy, dealing in firearms without a license, and smuggling goods from the U.S. His sentencing was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
According to court records, Dartey played a significant role in a 16-person marriage fraud scheme involving soldiers at Fort Liberty and Ghanaian nationals. However, his involvement in arms trafficking was exposed when he attempted to smuggle firearms to Ghana by concealing them in barrels filled with rice and household goods.
Investigators revealed that Dartey purchased seven firearms near Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and enlisted a fellow soldier at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to buy three additional weapons. He then worked with an Army Chief Warrant Officer to ship the firearms from the Port of Baltimore to the Port of Tema in Ghana.
The smuggling operation was foiled when Ghanaian authorities at the Port of Tema discovered the hidden weapons and reported the seizure to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Announcing the sentencing, Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar emphasized the gravity of Dartey’s crimes and reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to combating illegal arms trafficking.
The case was investigated by the ATF, the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted the case.
Dartey’s conviction underscores the heightened scrutiny on illegal arms smuggling and the severe consequences for those involved in such activities.
Source:
3news.com
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