DUBAI — Arif Ali Durrani, the flamboyant Pakistani arms dealer convicted of conspiring to smuggle military aircraft components to the Middle East has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in jail. Durrani, 56, who ran his international arms business from the Mexican resort town of Rosarita, was convicted in March this year by a US court of illegally exporting restricted weapons components from America to the UAE, Malaysia and Belgium. US District Court Judge Larry A. Burns also sentenced Durrani to three years probation and ordered that he be deported from the US once he has completed his sentence.
The court in San Diego, California heard that Durrani conspired with two Southern California arms dealers to illegally export millions of dollars in military aircraft parts, some of which were destined for Iran. Illegal exports included temperature control amplifiers for the General Electric J85 turbine engine used on the F-5 fighter and other military aircraft; an afterburner hydraulic actuator for the J85 engine; and 1st Stage Turbine Nozzles for the Honeywell T55 engine used on the Chinook military helicopter.
Durrani had a previous conviction for weapons export offences in the US. In 1987 he illegally exported HAWK missile system components and, after serving his criminal sentence, was deported from the US. Ultimately, he took up residence in Rosarito Beach and from there began orchestrating his illegal export business from Mexico.
On June 12, 2005, Mexican law enforcement officials arrested Durrani for being in Mexico illegally. Days later, Durrani was being deported by Mexican authorities to his native Pakistan when ICE agents met his connecting flight in Los Angeles. Upon his arrival, ICE agents arrested Durrani. | I'm sure the fact his flight made a stop at LAX was accidental |
Durrani’s co-conspirators, retired Navy officer George Budenz, 60, and Richard Tobey, 38, both previously pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the Arms Control Export Act and are awaiting sentencing.Durrani’s sentencing was the final act in a 12 year investigation run by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “By vigilantly pursuing illegal arms dealers, particularly those with a history of selling US military hardware to state sponsors of terrorism, ICE is helping to keep sensitive technology from falling into the wrong hands,” said Mike Unzueta, special agent in charge for the ICE office of investigations in San Diego. “Durrani is clearly an enemy of the United States and the sentencing judge saw that too.” |