U.S. AIDES FIND GUN SMUGGLING IS A LOW PRIORITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302300020-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 2, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: September 26, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

A Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/02 CIA-RDP90-00965R000302300020-5
Hr r MILLI 3 NEW YORK TIMES
e""rs A I 26 September 1985
The East Coast
U.S. Aides End
Gun Smuggling
Is a Low Priority
The following article is based on re
porting by Joel Brinkley and Jeff Girth
and was written by Mr. Brinkley.
, Special to The MA Tat Tlaig ?
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25? United
States law-enforcement officials say
they are having little ;success stopping
illegal exports of American-made
S2108.
Most of the agencies say halting gun
smuggling is not a high priority, eves
though they aclinbirledse that domes*
manufactured weapcn. are its-
creasingly being smuggled abroath
particularly to Latin America, where
they have bear used in attacks gab*
Americans rad leaders of governments
friendly to the United States.
Federal ? officials say they are con
corned about the smuggling, But at the
same time nuraerous Government offi-
cials and others involved in the arms
business say that United States policies-
Second of two articles on smug-
gling of American arms overseas.
often foster illegal gunrunning. Sines
the Government itself somethnor
makes covert arms purchases for intel-
ligence operations abroad, Some major
arms traffickers get Government pro-
tection, these sources say, even though
those same traffickers may at other
times sell arms to enemies of the
United States.
Guns in 'a Black HoW
Meanwhile, the Federal law-enforce-
ment agencies that are responsible for
stopping arms smuggling say they
have other, more important interests:
The Customs Service, fest4 example,
says it is so busy fighting dirai traffick-
ing and illegal exports of higtr, tech-
nology that it pays little attention to
guns, even though the service has ex-
clusive jurisdiction for enforcing the
Arms Export Control Act.
"It just isn't one of our priorities,"
said Roger R. Urbanski, director of the
Custom Service's strategic investiga-
tions division.
When Federal officials do make an
effort to catch gunrunners, loopholes in
Federal laws often let the smugglers go
free and "the guns end up going into a
black hole," said Edward D. Conroy,
special agent in charge of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office
in Miami. Federal officials describe,
southern Florida as the nation's largest
market for illegal arms smuggling.
Even w --, ?..-.1r . - ...,...--.. - .,
.4. ?rn-rr.norr. ? , . , . .
gal cker. somatimas thaw
fife forced to halt their case after smack
_or that
,
lion from the-.. , ? s ? . - . ? ?
gency or another - ? "-",
'n-
. ' 7.-fr,r
'Both Sides of the Street'
"That may be a dangerous state-
ment, but yes, that happens," said
Leon W. Guinn, acting special agent in
charge of the Miami office of the Cus-
toms Service.
"When I investigate" an illegal arms
i
sale, he added, 'we find out the traf-
fickers are wo ? . both sides of the
street. No .-A 4,- oil! o th
...Arrrfirr-Arnvir-rarvri. is,...,.
, ...
ust a 5.' 14=1[1E? .: .-
y : oyer, a o ? state prose-
cutor who was an assistant United
States attorney in Tampa until earlier
this year, said 'lire Government has
ways of making the cases disappear."
A spokesman for the C.johi said the
agency would not comment-7a whether
at maintained relationships with arms
dealers.
One international arms dealer based
on the East Coast, who Federal law-en-
forcement officials describe as a fn.
quent and reliable informer on illegal
arms trafficking, said in an interview:
"The Government makes it possible
for us. Selling arms isn't really
frowned on by the Government."
The United States is the world's larg-
est manufacturer of arms, and around
the country the Federal Government
has issued licenses to about 243,000
arms dealers. The vast majority of
those people appear to be honest and
law-abiding. A few, however, sell arms
with the knowledge that they will be
smuggled abroad.
Five or Six Major Dealers
Some of the dealers are also interna-
tional arms broken who find arms
huyers for arms sellers and charge a
sercentage of the transaction price
without ever taking possession of the
weapons.
The East Coast arms dealer, who is
slso a broker, said there were five or
a
six major international arms dealers in
the United States who at times might
have been involved in transactions of
questionable legality, in addition to
dozens of smaller dealers involved In-
possibly illegal sales.
That means the five or six major
dealers may at times market arms that
are not supposed to be available for
commercial sale, or they may sell
arms to groups or nations that are not
supposed to get American weapons,
like Iran, nations of the Soviet bloc or
the Irish Republican Army.
A Federal law-enforcement official
said the estimate appeared to be accu-
rate although the Government did not
know for sure.
.__-.111M-P ;V,. ?
? 97-1 =NI
or som"'"ri
ve ways cooperated with the
Government," the dealer said, adding
that the relationship consisted of "a
give and a take ? as long as they know
what's going on, they don't stop you."
'The File Has Been Removed'
Mrs, liner_ the former &Mew
United States a . ? said. " e'd
eav
the case no anger / has
t3f1 intelligencezenoviwe'd word later
? were or were
Sr per-
=Lathe i=
it thentselses."
go on
As a result, Pars. Royer said, some
arms traffickers have "one foot on
each side of the fence."
A Miami man who Federal officials
describe as the largest arms dealer in
the United States, and perhaps in the
world, got unusual treatment in a 1982
criminal case in which his attorney
submitted a sealed court statement de-
scribing his client's "great assistance
to the United States," the court record
says.
A Federal grand jury indicted the
arms dealer, Sarkis G. SoghanaLian, a
Lebanese citizen who lives in Miami,
on three counts of fraud in 1981 in con-
nection with the sale of 197 .50-caliber
machine guns to Mauritania.
If convicted, he could have been sen-
tenced to 15 years in prison or deport-
ed. But Mr. Soghanalhut was allowed to
plead guilty to one count while at the
same time telling the court he was not
really guilty of the charge.
'Not the Normal' Practice
Stephen Gillman, who was an assist-
ant United States attorney involved in
the case, said the plea arrangement
was "not the normal" practice in his
office, but he declined further com-
ment.
Federal District Judge Joe Eaton,
who accepted the arrangement, said
that the case was unusual because it in-
volved "international affairs con-
ducted by the State Department." In
addition, Judge Eaton said that "it is
recognized by the Government that this
man is in some part of international
business, a legitimate one" and that
Mr. Soghanalian should be able "to
carry on his business" and continue
traveling abroad as required.
Mr. Soghanalian was sentenced to
five years probation, and the Govern-
ment agreed not to deport him.
Gerald F. Richman, one of Mr. Sog-
hanalian's attorneys, said he assumed
his client's relationship with the Gov-
ernment affected the terms of his sen-
tence.
States" Mr. Ric.hman
be,ela of assistance v_
" ?ere is not anv auesti Sartieje
that his clients contacts'
more cannot
jeckP
STAT
in Dmr+ - niti7Rd CODV Approved for Release 2012/10/02 CIA-RDP90-00965R000302300020-5