SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - An Iraqi national living in Georgia has been arraigned on charges that he tried to smuggle firearms to his native country, federal prosecutors said.
Nihad Al Jaberi, 41, of Clarkston, Georgia, was in federal court Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher L. Ray in Savannah, where a not guilty plea was entered to charges of smuggling, failure to notify a common carrier and submitting false or misleading export information.
David H. Estes, acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a news release Tuesday that Al Jaberi is charged with attempting in August 2020 to export three handguns and six .308-caliber long-range rifles. Prosecutors said the weapons were in a shipment in which the contents were listed as “71 Pieces of Spare Auto Parts with No License Required.”
The firearms, which were discovered disassembled along with used auto parts in a container at the Port of Savannah, had been obtained through straw purchases at various Atlanta-area sporting goods stores, authorities said.
“This weapons seizure clearly illustrates how closely Customs and Border Protection inspects export manifests and identifies anomalies that could potentially harm others,” Henry DeBlock, Area Port Director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Savannah, said in the release.
Al Jaberi remains in custody. No trial date has been set.
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