Singaporean arrested in US over $4.8m arms deal
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Singaporean arrested in US over $4.8m arms deal
By Ansley Ng, TODAY
A Singaporean businessman has been charged in the United States for trying to buy hundreds of machine guns, handguns, fighter jet missiles and radar equipment, allegedly to be exported to Indonesia through Singapore.
Ibrahim Bin Amran, 46, and three other men are expected to be tried in a court in Detroit, Michigan, for attempting to purchase 245 Sidewinder missiles for military aircraft, 882 Heckler & Koch (H&K) MP5 submachine guns, 800 H&K 9mm handguns, 16 H&K sniper rifles and 5,000 rounds of ammunition from an arms company.
The US$3-million ($4.84-million) deal was stopped when agents from the US Homeland Security Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the men on Sunday in Hawaii while they were on the way to inspect aircraft parts.
Those arrested with Ibrahim are Indonesians Hadianto Djoko Djuliarso, 41, and Ignatius Ferdinandus Soeharli, and Briton David Beecroft.
"We consider this to be a serious and grave threat to our national security," said US Attorney Stephen Murphy yesterday.
"The agencies involved in the case worked hard to arrest individuals who were ready, willing and able to buy American weapons and take them outside the country."
American officials added that the case did not involve any plot to use the weapons for terrorism. Ironically, it is believed that it was the unnamed American arms company, which the men have been wooing for a year, which set the authorities on them.
On Friday, undercover federal agents, posing as company salesmen, met the men at Hawaii's Honolulu airport. The next day, the agents took them to inspect the weapons.
Two of the men were said to have been travelling with their wives.
The four men, who face up to 25 years in prison, were charged with conspiring to violate the US Arms Export Control Act.
Hadianto and Ibrahim were also slapped with money laundering charges.
According to court documents, the deal was spawned in April last year when an employee of Indodial - a Jakarta-based aircraft spare parts company set up by Ibrahim and Hadianto - contacted an American company seeking to buy military aircraft parts for export to Indonesia.
In June, Ibrahim met officials from the weapons firm in London to discuss the deal.
At another meeting in December, which was held in Detroit, the men offered US$3.3 million for the arms and said they would buy them even though they didn't have the proper export licence. Hadianto also urged that the deal be kept a secret, court papers showed.
On March 30, the pair sent US$447,000 to the company as a partial payment.
During an indictment hearing in Detroit on Tuesday, Ignatius was identified as the one who provided the cash, while Beecroft, who lives in Singapore, was tasked to arrange the shipment of the arms to Indonesia.
Other than Indodial, Ibrahim and Hardianto also own three other companies -PBJV Global, Eaststar Logistics and Etaru Indonesia - all based in or doing business in Singapore and Indonesia.
Hadianto's role in the deal is unclear but according to an employee at PBJV Global - Ibrahim's Singapore-registered oil and gas spare-parts company - the two men are business partners and frequently meet to discuss their "aircraft spare-parts business".
Beecroft is also no stranger to Ibrahim's company. He is hired as a freelance salesperson for PBJV Global's, a company official told TODAY.
Last Thursday, Ibrahim, who frequently travels to Indonesia on business, left Singapore for Hawaii, telling his employee at PBJV Global that he was going to meet a US contact to discuss buying new products for the company.
He was supposed to return to work at his Jalan Sultan office today, said the employee. His wife, known to his staff as "Ani", is believed to have been with him at time of arrest. The couple have no children and live in an HDB flat in Bishan.
The employee said he did not notice anything "unusual" about Ibrahim's last trip to the US, adding that he was "shocked" that his workplace could be the heart of an international arms smuggling operation.
"He is a very understanding and flexible employer," he said. "He doesn't look like he would even know how to handle a gun."
The men are currently being held in Hawaii and will be taken to Detroit to answer charges. Authorities in both states could not be reached for comment.
TODAY/ra -
arms deal? can that even happen?
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buy quite alot of things oni 4.8mil...
confirm mus b the singaporean bargain one..
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Could be typo error somewhere, where got so cheap for ao many barang barang?Originally posted by skeujin:buy quite alot of things oni 4.8mil...
confirm mus b the singaporean bargain one.. -
They are buying it for the Indonesian.
Arms deals are profitable, but these guys are stupid. What can you buy with 4.8 million in an illegal arms sale. The list includes 245 Aim-9x, how many can you get reasonably , No wonder they are caught. Simply stupid. -
Old stock from Cold War. Must have been big super saver discount tts why they kiasu.
i thought indonesian gunmen got those lousy pistols good enough already. why need top quality H&k firearms and sidewinder missiles. must be another military coup brewing. too bad foiled already. -
They should have done a google check and know that each missile chao chao costs few hundred thousand dollars leh!!
want to do illegal things at least must research first...
just like those people who buy plane ticket and went to japan and thought it was a small island ....................and don't even know where karate master is... -
Lelong ah! Great Singapore sale ah! Sidewinders only $3400 each. Buy 9 get 1 free. Buy 100 units, charge you 250 unit price.
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Originally posted by MrFugue:They should have done a google check and know that each missile chao chao costs few hundred thousand dollars leh!!
want to do illegal things at least must research first...
just like those people who buy plane ticket and went to japan and thought it was a small island ....................and don't even know where karate master is... -
definitely when they order air to air missiles it's not for indonesian gunmen liaoOriginally posted by mrwonderful:Old stock from Cold War. Must have been big super saver discount tts why they kiasu.
i thought indonesian gunmen got those lousy pistols good enough already. why need top quality H&k firearms and sidewinder missiles. must be another military coup brewing. too bad foiled already. -
Wah lao, Singaporean so toopid meh? Cannot order Online ah? Or buy from E-bay lar!
After that, got to CID Arms and explosive branch and get permit to import arms lor. "Eskew me... I would like to import some BBguns, HK Submachine guns and errr 245 AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles. How much would the permit cost?"
Hmmm I wonder how much would it cost to buy an ex-Soviet Ballistic missile Submarine and convert it into a casino/whorehouse....? Should be able to earn back right? Minus a few lawsuits and claims for radiation leakage... -
Wow 248 missles for $4.8m .. buying the casing for the missle is it -
WAH.. give this article to Lee Ao ! Tell him don't play play with singaporean.
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I heard this just last night on the evening news. I was stunned! Living overseas, we seldom hear news about Singapore. I want to hear news about Singapore but not this way.
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buying pictures more like it.. roflOriginally posted by DriftingGuy:Wow 248 missles for $4.8m .. buying the casing for the missle is it -
$4.8m convert to rupiah = billions and billions!! Can buy already..Originally posted by dork3d:Could be typo error somewhere, where got so cheap for ao many barang barang? -
dont be stupid lah, you thought people stupid one meh. ya, 4.8m most sightly can only buy the housing of the missle.Originally posted by dinky1409:$4.8m convert to rupiah = billions and billions!! Can buy already.. -
Lol relax man.. obviously I'm kidding.. Wassap wit the anger man.. Chill dude... SheeshOriginally posted by kingofbeholder:dont be stupid lah, you thought people stupid one meh. ya, 4.8m most sightly can only buy the housing of the missle.
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Obviously someone's not in a good mood.
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the weapons expired date reached or over oredi that's why so cheapOriginally posted by skeujin:buy quite alot of things oni 4.8mil...
confirm mus b the singaporean bargain one.. -
wan to buy at least buy from russia...
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Unlike most of you who have such great ideas running thru your heads.
I for one, had cold chills down my spine.
1) they have the money to buy
2) they know who to buy from (assuming this one time is foiled, what about other times?)
3) why is a Singaporean involved?
Now, I understand that the terrorists network after 911 has went underground, and with this, it shows that there is still some frantics out there. And they got the resources, time to plan, and they are cross-borders.
Yes, this time, they were caught, but I believe this do sent alarms.
Imagine, they are buying chemical bombs, some germ warfare and then transporting to Indonesia, and using small time vendors like those selling illegal contrabands in Simei now to come in our homeland.
We are in a whole lot of trouble.
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WAY to go singapore!!...never knew our citizen are involve in arms deal. maciam in movies like that ar...
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security has to take place...
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so we should set up a more comprehensive ISD?machiam like CIA like that?Originally posted by iceFatboy:We are in a whole lot of trouble.
the more info we get the better?