A Ghanaian based US Army Major officer named Kojo Owusu Dartey has been found guilty by a jury of smuggling guns to Ghana. He hid the guns in blue barrels filled with rice and other household items.
The 42-year-old officer, who works at Fort Liberty, could be sentenced to 20 years in prison. The sentence will be announced on July 23, 2024.
US and Ghanaian authorities worked together to find and charge someone for selling weapons across borders. Dartey was accused of selling guns without permission, sending guns without telling the carrier, bringing goods into the US illegally, sending guns out of the country without permission, lying to a US agency, lying in court, and working with others to commit a crime.
The US Attorney Michael Easley said thank you for working together with officials from Ghana. He mentioned how the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana helped with the investigation. He also thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Accra, and the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their support.
Toni Mrewritten as Simple words: Toni M. Crosby, who is in charge of the ATF Baltimore Field Division, talked about how trafficking guns is bad for public safety. He also praised the joint investigation that stopped guns from getting into the hands of criminals.
In June and July 2021, the court found out that Dartey got seven guns in Fort Liberty and told a soldier at Fort Campbell to buy three more for him. These guns, like pistols and a type of rifle, along with lots of bullets, attachments to make them quieter, and a powerful shotgun, were hidden in blue barrels with food and other things and sent from one port in the US to another port in Ghana.
The Ghana Revenue Authority found some guns and told the DEA and ATF about it. Dartey was also a person who saw what happened during the trial in the United States. I would be happy to help, but it looks like there is no text provided for me to rewrite. Can you please provide the text that you would like me to simplify. AgyapongDartey told officials about a marriage fraud scheme between 16 soldiers and people from Ghana at Fort Liberty. Before the trial, Dartey told federal law enforcement a lie about his sexual relationship with a witness for the defence. Then, he also lied on the witness stand and when he swore to tell the truth.
The Ghana Revenue Authority found the guns, which caused a big reaction from US agencies around the world. At the same time, Dartey was part of another trial as a witness. He gave the police wrong information about personal things and lied in court about a relationship, which caused more charges against him.
The ATF, Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement looked into the case. Assistant US Attorney Gabriel J. led the prosecution. Diaz received help from David Ryan, who is an expert in technical matters from the Department of Justice’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The head judge in the US agreed with the decision.