Two Defendants Arrested for Conspiring to Illegally Export Weapons to South Sudan

A federal criminal complaint was unsealed yesterday in the District of Arizona charging Abraham Chol Keech, 44, of Utah, and Peter Biar Ajak, 40, of Maryland, with conspiring to purchase and illegally export millions of dollars’ worth of fully automatic rifles, grenade launchers, Stinger missile systems, hand grenades, sniper rifles, ammunition, and other export-controlled items from the United States to South Sudan, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA).

“As alleged, the defendants sought to unlawfully smuggle heavy weapons and ammunition from the United States into South Sudan – a country that is subject to a U.N. arms embargo due to the violence between armed groups, which has killed and displaced thousands,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate the illicit export of weapons overseas, and we will hold accountable those who would violate our laws.”

“Sanctions and export controls help ensure that American weapons are not used internationally to destabilize other sovereign nations,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “We thank our law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations, for continuing to use their legacy customs enforcement authority to protect the public.”

Read more: Department of Justice