An international arms dealer was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a Los Angeles federal court Monday for conspiring to sell surface-to-air missiles to Libyan militants and other customers in the Middle East. The trafficking operation run by Rami Najm Asad-Ghanem was described as "breathtaking and frightening" by Judge James Otero, who pronounced the sentence.
Ghanem, a 53-year-old naturalized American citizen, pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes at his trial in November. He was accused of negotiating the sale of Russian-made missile systems to a Libyan armed faction in 2015. Prosecutors said Ghanem had negotiated salaries and organized travel for mercenaries who would receive $50,000 if they successfully shot down planes belonging to the internationally recognized Libyan government.
US authorities were alerted to Ghanem in 2014 after he approached a Los Angeles-based defense manufacturer. Undercover Homeland Security agents made contact with Ghanem in Athens and agreed to "sell" him more than $200,000 worth of weapons including sniper rifles and night-vision equipment, all "under the table."