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

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810032-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: September 26, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

-STAT
ec
ass
e
n
-
opy
pprove
or
e
ease
ar
an
ze
YARTI~LE APPEARED, I NEW YORK TIMES
~" ^!^ 26 September 1985
49" a is. Mw. rat res.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 - United
States law-enforcement officials say
t*y' are having little success stopping
illegal eotports of American-made
arms.
Wet of the agencies say halting gun
smgplin$ is not a high pdurltj., even
though they adttiabwledde tfllt dome
coo mamlfaotmred weapcUt are in}
ca=pngly being smuggled abroad;
particularly to Latin America, where
they have been used in attacks against
Americarwaad leaders ofgoaeanments
friendly to the United states.
moral officials say they are coo.
corned about the Smuggling. But at the
sans time numerous Government o1lt
dais and others involved in 'do arms
business say that United States poHdes
D
l
ifi
d i
A
d f
R
l
2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810032-9
P
t
S
iti
d C
Guts in 'a slack Hole'
Meanwhile, the Federal law-enforce.
ment agencies that are responsible for
stopping arms smuggling say they
have other; more important interests.
The Customs Service, ; example,
says it is so busy fighting traffick-
ing and illegal exports hill` tech-
nology that it pays little attention to
guns, even though the eervioy has ex-
clusive jurisdiction for enflicing 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 i
U.S. Aides Find
Gun Smuggling
is a Low Priority
The following article is based on re-
porting by Joel Brinkley and Jeff Garth
and was written by Mr. Brinkley.
Second of two articles on smug-
gling of American arms overseas.
often foster illegal ganrunnteg. Sine
the Government itself sometimes'
makes covert arms purchases far intol-
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.
southern Florida as the nation's largest
market for illegal arms smuggling.
Even when
A- Vil- I&
gal arms fficked annadmeL-Ow
What receiving oroteo-
On m en1
'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
sale, he added, "we find out the traf-
street -Q='re workinjwith .
f
just a small of case.
Ju yd S. Dyer, a Florida state prose.
cutor who was an assistant United
States attorney in Tampa until earlier
this year, said, "The Government has
ways of making the cases disappear."
A s man for the said the
Would not comment
it Maintained pa with arms
30e-rs.
bIn ternational arms dealer based
on the East Coast, who Federal law-en-
forcement officials describe as a fre-
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 brokers who find arms
buyers for arms sellers and charge a
percentage of the transaction price
without ever taking possession of the
weapons.
The East Coast arms dealer, who is
also a broker, said there were five or
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.
I., the en Iptallis
race
Agar or imWpoay se.
' 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. Hover. the former seistant
United States attorney. said. "We'd
m arms deal to ao on or were
conauamg it themselves."
Wires oyer 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. Sogbanalian, 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. Soghanalian 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.
"There is not an r __ t1 ,. _ "United
been assistance to thee
re detail I cannot on_"
,I Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810032-9
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810032-9
0 not ni ten than the bureau can Conroy iaihi. I to they an being
Further, Ms. CaoiOq said the e nod- ucheck aircraft Sea if
sed to smugme guns.
arse run. $cation law applies only to pistols: "If. I...pt than do fil of a manliest,
Inorese ft Number of Cases someone buys 25 AR-l5" rifles, the there is no taspecdon. he said. Ne Mr. - civilian equivalent of the Army's M~41, cannot be atthemyriad of private air-
in the s deaW~ last have been investigated ' don't get anything on that at all." ports to check outbound airrratt. There
arm
are obviously weapons leaving here,
by the F.B.I., the firearms bureau,
Customs and the State Devartment, as Some Federal officials say they are but In what volume we just don't
au-
cording to several Federal law-en- the say cause reluctant eliminate they to powerful ask for anticipate firearms tighter lobby. opposition laws Mean- from - know." Earlier this year the Costa Rican
forcement officials, but no charges
thorities arrested five Miami residents
have been brought esoept those In the
tr 1 to
Mauritania case. while, some gun lobbyists are
and sentenced them to jail for smug-
some of the limited tools-,
Despite sutomatlc rifles, mortars and a
Despite all the pressures and prob`
14- -foot-longracgan~non from Miami, for
lems, the number of Government cases
Federal authorities now have.
against arms smugglers bas been in-
The 100,000-member Gun Owners of
ma pilot afthenair lane whofaced
creasing. The Bureau of Alcohol, To-
America, for example, is preparing to
two previous convictkna on arms tot
bacco and Firearms, for eaamp1s,
Mile suit calling for repeal of the re-
reported before leav
initiated prosecution in 98 international
quirement that purchasers of firearms ficking charges,
ing Miami that his cargo was humani-
arms trafficking cases In the fiscal
fill out a firearms bureau form that is
tarian aid for Central American refs
year 1984 and estimates that the num-
often used to trace weapons purchased
In interviews after his
ber of cases for 1986 will be 152 when
illegally or used in crimes.
Customs Service is responsible gees, arrest end that he his said plane
was not inspected
.
the fiscal year ends Sept 30 The
before leaving Florida.
Still, the firearms bureau "is a do-
for catching arms smuggbrs at the nn-11 lion's borders. But Customs officials
taw-enforce n t '09
mestic
F.B.L's Other Cweseas
Phillip C. McGuire, the s
they are primarily interested in The Federal Bureau of
Imrostlptlon
deputy director, and the bunss 1
arms cases that involve advanced
agents nationwide must spend weapons,
senior . offi-
like computer-guided mis- does not trafficking often either. A involve itself F.B.I. siles. Mr. Urbanaki said that on most cases cial said arms smog did not
half their time, on the aversgsr
gating violations of Federal
clearly fall within the 's jnrls.
and tobacco laws, `
involving small arms the Customs'
diction, and in Florida, he said, "we've
Services deferred to the Bureau at Alco-1
Although the bureau has an Interns. I tional Traffic in Arms division and ins and organized
hol, Tobacco and Firearms. "Cleertyl drugs, got ,,
crime "to worry about, 11 although he
the last two or three years "has made a
our focus is on other areas," he said.
added that the bureau indv~estantly
more aggressive effort twatm the ills The East Coast arms dealer
who has
came across scores of arms smuggling
gal arms flow," Mr. McGuire said,
worked with the Federal authorities cases anyway
.
most of the buremes it natlaoal
estimated that MOW arms sales made
established a
program The four Customs years Service ago to stop illegal
most of them in-
cases are indirect results of domestic in southern Florida, mEven~the domestic Investigattoos are to $150
million
volving small arms, totaled $70
exports of high to 4w logy to Soviet
million a month on the average,
bloc countries. It Is the only major Cus-
hampered by weak laws, the bureau's
a figure that Federal officials con-
toms program to investigate exports;
officers say. For example, to purchase
firmed.
most customs resources are devoted to
firearms in Florida and In many other
A confidential firearms bureau re-
stopping illegal imports, like deep.'
states, tbeonlyr identtfigtlon assded is
port shows that last year nearly one-
Even though the program concen-
a driver's license with a local address.
third of the American-made weapons
trates on technological exports, like
But neither the state motor vehicle au-
used in crimes abroad that were later
computers and advanced manufactur-
thorities in Florida nor the gun dealers
traced back to an American point of
ing equipment, "when we put assets to-
are required to verity the aauracy of
origin came from southern Florida.
ward exports, inevitably we get more
addresses, Federal officials say.
And yet the Customs Service's Sou hl
munitions than anything else," Mr: Ur-
.q -0 Is a Vaesaa Let
Florida office has not made a single
baneki said. Asa result, Customs has
significant arms seizure in almost''
made several significant small-arms
Mr. Cnrroy, head of the firearms bu-
three years , Mr. Guinn said.
seizures recently.
reau office In Miami, said that when his
Used
agents investigated suspicious arms Secret Compartments
official, said: "In the last two or three
Mr. McGuire, the firearms bureau ad. success," he said. "I'd say we spend 99
sales tthoeyoften found the tthoeg~bsuyer "It has not been
one of our greatest
years, I've tried to sensitize people to
dress to gethis licewho nse"IInvarlibly the
the problem" of international, arms
and forty-four one-hundreths'percent
trafficking because, he added, "we
address turns out to be a vacant lot or
our time on narcotics cases."
don't want to be known as the interna-
an empty storefront," Mr. Conroy said,
Mr. Conroy said arms traffickers
tional arms source for the world."
and the buyer has disappeared with the .c
are only limited to their Imagina-
weapons.
tion," when scheming to smuggle arms
That "to a tremendous problem,"
out. Federal officiials say smugglers
said Charles Hudson, a bureau agent in
pack weapons in boats and tractor-
Florida, adding, "The Colombians
trailors with secret compartments and,
have developed this to an art."
more often, in airplanes.,
Mr. Conroy also noted that although
A few year4 ago, abaft 100 pistols
arms dealers were required to file a
were found hidden inside a washing
form with the bureau each time some-
machine being shipped to Latin Amer-
one buys more than one pistol in a five-being
ica, and in another case rifles
day period, they are not required to shipped to Christian
one of Lebanon's
note what kinds of guns are. involved.
militia were hidden inside the fenders
If the bureau is told that someone
of a Chevrolet Blazer.
bought 30 weapons, for example, it can- Mr. Guinn said his office cannot
not tell whether those were sports tar-
get pistols or MAC-10 semiautomatic
pistols that can easily be converted into
the machine guns with silencers that
are favorites of drug dealers and ter-
rorists.
The bureau gets thousands of those
multiple sales forms a mouth; Mr. Con-
roy said his office received as many as
800 a month in recent years, tar more
0~
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810032-9
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000200810032-9
ARTICLE APPEAR
ON PAGE
Gun Smuggling
On the Increase,
U.S. Aides Say
The following grtiele is based on re-
porting by Jeff Garth and Joel Brinkley
and was written by Mr. Garth.
Spdd to Mw Mw Yost ltmw
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 - In early
1981. two American agrarian advisers
and a Salvadoran official were shot to
death in what has become ms of the
most notorious tmrssofved crimes in El
Salvador. Now American law-entoroe-
ment officials say they have evidence
that an American-made semiauto`
matic pistol, which had been smuggled
out of Florida, was used in the kiWngs.
The disclosure is one of the more
dramatic of a recent number of cases
in which illegally exported American
weapons have been used abroad in ter-
rorist plots against Ameri cans and offi-
cials of governments fri endly' to the
United States. Those cases and the in-
creasing number of American weapons
being smuggled abroad have caused
concern among United States and for-
eign law-enforcement officials.
Arms Smuggling Cases Increase
"Firearms exported illegally from
the United States have found their way
in ever-increasing quantities to the
most remote countries in the world,"
i said a confidential report by the Bu-
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
on international arms trafficking in
1984. The number of International arms
trafficking cases and defendants this
year will be more than twice that of
1984, Phillip C. McGuire, the deputy di-
rector of the bureau, said in an inter-
view.
Mr. McGuire said southern Florida
was the top source for arms smuggled
oit of the United States.
"There is no question that this coun-
try, this state and this part of the state
is arming the Americas," said Charles
Hudson, a special agent with the fire-
arms bureau in Florida.
One top official of the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation in Miami said:
"Weapons are going everywhere. Ships
r tW TUKK l ir'ItJ
25 September 1985
coming in with dope have to have some- Federal officials say many guns that
thing going out, so it's arms." have been used by criminals in Latin
George A. Rodriguez, who beads the America were legally exported by
-Brearms bureau's international arms American manufacturers to foreign
trafficking program, said police offi- fly dealers.
cials in countries in Central America erate Illegal llargexlyortout . of the the etch! of govern-
that hand, rn-
had tried to remain neutral amid ments and policymakers. "There are
the region's conflicts were becoming I no reliable Federal estimates of Me.
increasingly concerned about the prob. j gaily exported American guns." Mr.
'ter of American guns used in crimes in
-their countries.
Mr. Rodriguez said a top Costa Rican
police official had told him that his
-reentry "had become another Casa-
blanca" for arms smuggling and had
gked him to trace 4,000 American
gums recovered in Costa Rica, surpass-
,ing the total number of traces by the
? j reau in 1984.
,'In recent months, to
Federal law-enforcement officials and
;#lyblic records, illegally exported
American weapons have been linked to
tfR, kidnapping and killing of an agent
of the Federal Drug Enforcement Ad-
xhittistration in Mexico and to plots to
Overthrow governments or assassinate
'government leaders in Mexico, Hon-
duras,Colombia and Nicaragua.
- -Latin America, the source of most of
the drugs smuggled into the United
,States, is the largest recipient of illegal
weapons shipments from the United
,States, according to the firearms bu-
,rftu report.
- Mr. McGuire, the bureau's deputy di-
rector, said it was difficult to deter-
thine whether the increase in the re-
ported number of international smug-
gling cases stemmed from more effec-
liYe enforcement or increased activity.
-Other Federal law-enforcement offi-
-cials acknowledge that they have had
difficulty in stopping gun nu ring.
.They say the lack of success stems in
part from other priorities.-,$j -
ohs Federal officials say tn.
mint itself also occa?i llv akwa
covert arms rchases for intell en
operations abroad.
?? Gun smuggling is a small but crucial
;dart of the billion-dollar worldwide
market for weapons. The leading
manufacturers and exporters of weap-
ons are the Soviet Union and the United
'$tates. Arms from both countries are
sold through both official and unofficial
channels.
? Most official weapons sales are part
of Government security assistance pro-
grams. But according to the State De-
partment's Office of Munitions Control,
;m 1982 to 1984 the number of appli-
cations from private parties for li-
censes to legally export arms in-
creased 18 percent, to 46,283 from
39,221.
the United States Custom Service's
strategic investigations division, said
the service does not keep separate data
on arms smuggling or gun seizures.
United States as Prlms source
One East Coast arms dealer esti-
mates that the weapons smuggled from
southern Florida alone, consisting
mostly of small arms, are won th $1.5
billion to 82 billion annually. The weap-
ons go primarilto Latin America but
i