Two Quebec men pleaded guilty in the U.S. to illegal exportation of firearms charges. The weapons were allegedly destined for Dubai and Colombia. The Western District of New York’s U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo’s Office said in a news release that Guy Deland, 68, and Charan Singh, 56, could face maximum penalties of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines for the charges. “Between November 2016 and April 2017, Deland and Singh conspired with others, including Aydan Sin, to export defence articles on the United States Munitions List (USML) in violation of United States law,” the release reads. The release adds that Singh began communicating with an undercover agent (UCA) about exporting firearms to the United Arab Emirates in 2016. “During the communications, Singh, Deland, and Sin were advised by the UCA that a license was required from the United States Department of State in order to legally export the firearms,” the release continues. “The defendants acknowledged the illegality of the attempted exports, provided an encrypted Blackberry device to the UCA for the purpose of secure, covert communications, and wired approximately $70,000 USD from Canada to the United States as a 50 per cent down payment for the export of the goods.” In December 2016, Sin tried to get handguns and Uzi machine guns illegally, the release continues, and export them to Dubai and Colombia (through Panama). The invoice totalling $20,575 from the Dubai transaction included the following: The $121,175 invoice for the Colombia transaction included: “Both invoices contained language stating that exporting these products was prohibited by law without an export license,” the DA’s office said. “On February 6 and 7, 2017, an undercover bank account, located in the Western District of New York, received two bank wire transfers from a bank account in Canada, each in the amount of $34,990 USD, representing 50 per cent of the total purchase price of the firearms, suppressors, and ammunition.” The news release says the pleas resulted from a Homeland Security investigation in addition to assistance from the RCMP. Deland is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 18 and Singh on Jan. 16 before Judge Richard J. Acara.
