BIS Announces 5 Month Sentence for Arms Exporter
The Bureau of Industry and Security reports that Boniface Ibe of Maryland has been sentenced to five months in prison followed by 10 months of supervised release for attempting to export certain arms to Nigeria without a license, and for delivering a firearm to a common carrier without written notice.
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Guns & Ammo Bought in U.S., Concealed in Nigeria-Bound Container w/o License
According to Ibe’s guilty plea, from November 2003 to August 2010, Ibe bought 194 shotguns and a .22 caliber handgun from gun shops in the Washington, DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas. On September 11, 2010 law enforcement learned that Ibe ordered a shipping container to be dropped and loaded with boxes at F&G Auto in Capitol Heights, Maryland.
After the container was picked up, law enforcement examined the shipping container at the Port of Baltimore and found eight shotguns, a .22 caliber handgun and .22 caliber ammunition concealed in a car inside the container. Shotgun ammunition was found in another vehicle in the container.
Dock receipts indicated that an individual in Nigeria was to receive the container, as well as at least four other containers shipped to Nigeria in 2008 and 2009. The .22 caliber handgun and ammunition are designated as significant military equipment controlled under the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations, and the shotguns are controlled for export under the Commerce Control List, all of which require a license for export. Ibe never possessed the necessary licenses or authorizations to export the firearms and ammunition.