A Ghanaian major in the U.S. Army, Kojo Owusu Dartey, has been convicted of smuggling weapons to Ghana from the States.
Dartey, who became infamous in Ghana after an interview with Kofi Adoma on Kofi TV in which they got into a back and forth over how to pronounce his name, ‘Dartey’, smuggled the weapons from the port of Baltimore in Maryland to Tema in Accra by hiding them in blue barrels containing rice and other home goods.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) retrieved the weapons and informed the U.S. government, leading to the arrest of Dartey.
A federal grand jury convicted the 42-year-old Ghanaian on charges of dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the United States, illegally exporting firearms without a license, making false statements made to an agency of the United States, making false declarations before the court, and conspiracy.
He faces 20 years in prison and his sentencing has been scheduled for July 23rd, 2024.
“We are partnering with law enforcement agencies across the globe to expose international criminals – from money launderers to rogue international arms traffickers capable of fueling violence abroad,” said U.S Attorney Michael Easley.
“Through a partnership with Ghanaian officials, this rogue Army Major was convicted at trial after smuggling guns to Ghana in blue barrels of rice and household goods. I want to thank the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana for their assistance in the investigation. I also commend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attachés to U.S. Embassy Accra and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division for their significant assistance to this prosecution.”
“Far from being a victimless crime, firearms trafficking threatens public safety across our nation and beyond,” said Toni M. Crosby, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Baltimore Field Division.
“The Baltimore Field Division is proud to partner with the Ghana Revenue Authority and ATF’s Charlotte and Louisville Field Divisions for this investigation, which has kept firearms off the streets — preventing them from being used in any number of killings and other crimes — and ended this international firearm trafficking scheme.”
Source: GhanaCelebrities.Com
