Two arms dealers have each been sentenced to 16 years in prison for illegally brokering weapons deals involving fighter jets, missiles, assault rifles and other military equipment destined for conflict zones.
British businessman David Greenhalgh, 68, from Croydon, south London, and Greek national Christos Farmakis, 48, were convicted following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs.
Between 2009 and 2016, the pair acted as middlemen in proposed deals involving former Soviet combat aircraft, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-tank missiles, AK-47 assault rifles, tanks and ammunition.
The controlled military equipment was brokered for supply to countries including Sudan, South Sudan and Libya without the trade-control licences required under UK law.
Some of the proposed transactions were valued at tens of millions of dollars.
Investigators found that forged end-user certificates had been used to disguise the intended destinations of the weapons. The documents falsely claimed that the equipment was being supplied to countries that were not subject to international sanctions or arms embargoes.
Greenhalgh was convicted of 10 offences and sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 16 years’ imprisonment.
Farmakis was convicted of nine offences and received the same sentence. He failed to attend his trial and was sentenced in his absence.
HMRC said it is working with international partners to bring Farmakis to the UK to serve his sentence.
Edwige Hill, deputy director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Greenhalgh and Farmakis showed a blatant disregard for international sanctions, seeking to profit from the illegal supply of weapons.
“These convictions are a clear warning to others that you will face justice for breaching the UK’s strict controls and brokering illegal supplies to sanctioned and embargoed destinations.”
