Gun Smugglers Sentenced for Exporting Firearms to Lebanon

Three individuals, Ali Afif Al Herz, Bassem Afif Herz, and Sarah Majid Zeaiter, have been sentenced for their role in smuggling over 250 firearms to Lebanon between 2014 and 2015. The sentencing comes after a lengthy investigation and subsequent convictions.

According to court documents, the defendants were involved in a scheme to unlawfully export firearms to Lebanon, with Ali Afif Al Herz being sentenced to serve 342 months’ imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay 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 scheme was uncovered in early 2015 after a report from a firearms dealer raised suspicions about suspicious firearms transactions conducted by the group. An initial investigation led to the 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. A subsequent investigation led to the 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.

Evidence presented at the sentencing hearings showed that 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 that the guns could be sold in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon for as much as ten times their value in the United States.

In addition to the three defendants, two other individuals convicted in connection with the scheme did not appeal their sentences. Adam Al Herz, the son of Ali Afif Al Herz, was sentenced to serve 240 months’ imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Fadi Yassine, a Lebanese citizen, was sentenced to serve 57 months’ imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the sentences of the three defendants, finding that the district court’s sentencing findings were reasonable. The appeals court also found that Ali and Bassem played a leadership role in the scheme, and that Sarah was aware of the scope and structure of the offense conduct and actively participated in the well-planned coordinated scheme.

The investigation that led to the convictions was triggered by a report from a firearms dealer concerning suspicious firearms transactions conducted by the group. The cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.