Major Kojo Owusu Dartey, a Ghanaian soldier serving in the United States Army, has been convicted of smuggling firearms to Ghana.
He faces up to 240 months in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 23, 2024.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, Dartey purchased firearms in the Fort Liberty area and had them shipped to Ghana hidden in blue barrels containing rice and household goods.
The Ghana Revenue Authority discovered the firearms and notified the DEA attaché in Ghana and the ATF Baltimore Field Division.
Dartey was found guilty of dealing in firearms without a license, smuggling goods, and making false statements to federal law enforcement.
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley praised the partnership between law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Ghana, saying, “We are working together to expose international criminals and keep our communities safe.”
The ATF, Army Criminal Investigation Division, and U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement investigated the case, with assistance from the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana.
Dartey’s conviction is a significant victory in the fight against international firearm trafficking, which poses a serious threat to public safety.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz, with technical assistance from David Ryan, DOJ Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
