Monday, October 29, 2012

Briton illegally sold arms to Nigeria

A British arms dealer is facing charges of smuggling a huge shipment of guns and munitions from China to Nigeria.


Gary Hyde, a 43-year-old man from Newton on Derwent near York, is accused of transferring 80,000 guns and 32 million rounds of ammunition worth £840,000 (over one million US dollars) from China to the West African nation, Daily Mail newspaper reported on Friday.


The York-based businessman - a former director of UK companies York Guns and Jago Ltd - is also said to have concealed commission payments.


"Hyde is due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on November 23."
His barrister, Stephen Solley QC, has called charges that Hyde organized the trade and transportation of the weapons in contravention of UK arms laws as 'completely ridiculous'.


"The idea Hyde sat down and made a decision to breach this law willy-nilly, knowing full well the consequences, is, we suggest, ludicrous," he said.


However, prosecutors say Hyde failed to obtain the correct export license, and a record of flights to China in 2006 and 2007, when the sales allegedly happened has been put before the jury.


Meanwhile, Peter Millroy from HM Revenue and Customs said, "Hyde was an experienced arms dealer who thought he could deliberately not comply with the law in order to make some extra money to hide offshore.


"He knew full well that his activity required a license but he decided not to comply with the law, and we are delighted that after an extensive investigation he has been brought to justice," Millroy noted.


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