Ali Afif Al Herz, Gun Smuggling, Iowa 2018

GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE: Gun Smuggling Ring Leaders Get Justice

In a major victory for law enforcement, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the sentences of Ali Afif Al Herz, Bassem Afif Herz, and Sarah Majid Zeaiter, who were convicted of gun smuggling to Lebanon in 2016.

The trio was sentenced to prison terms for their roles in a scheme to export over 250 firearms to Lebanon between 2014 and 2015. Ali Afif Al Herz was sentenced to serve 342 months' imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release and a fine of $150,000. Bassem Afif Herz was sentenced to serve 97 months' imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Sarah Majid Zeaiter was sentenced to serve 87 months' imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

The investigation that led to the convictions was triggered in early 2015 by a report from a firearms dealer concerning suspicious firearms transactions conducted by the group. The initial investigation led to the March 2015 seizure of 53 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition concealed inside Bobcat skid loaders packed inside a shipping container at the Norfolk, Virginia seaport. The container was destined for Lebanon.

Subsequent investigation led to the May 2015 seizure of a second shipping container in Cedar Rapids, which was also destined for Lebanon. Ninety-nine guns and thousands more rounds of ammunition were found concealed inside Bobcat skid loaders packed inside the second container. It was also determined that the group had previously sent two similar shipments to Lebanon in March and August 2014. Each of the four containers had been loaded and shipped from Midamar Corporation in Cedar Rapids.

Evidence presented at the sentencing hearings showed the containers were destined for an area in southern Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah, a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. Among the guns shipped were more than 30 military-style assault rifles. Other evidence presented in the case showed the guns could be sold in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon, where Ali Afif Al Herz maintained a residence, for as much as ten times their value in the United States.

The cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa. The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/eighth-circuit-court-appeals-affirms-gun-smugglers-sentences