STORY
David Greenhalgh and Christos Farmakis have each been sentenced to 16 years in prison for operating an illegal international arms brokering business. The Crown Prosecution Service described the case as a landmark prosecution under British arms trafficking legislation.
Prosecutors said the pair attempted to arrange supplies of military equipment from former Soviet and eastern European countries between 2009 and 2016. The proposed transactions included assault rifles, ammunition, tanks, combat aircraft, missile launchers and surface to air missile systems intended for embargoed destinations including Libya, South Sudan, Iraq and Iran.
Greenhalgh and Farmakis were convicted following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. Evidence included correspondence discussing false certificates, disguised destinations and the use of third countries to avoid export controls. The Export Control Joint Unit said no licence applications had been submitted in connection with the proposed transactions.