NEW YORK — When customs agents questioned a carload of Sri Lankan immigrants entering the United States at the Canadian border in the summer of 2006, the men claimed they were headed to a bachelor party in Buffalo.
In reality, there was no party or even a groom.
U.S. authorities say the men instead were part of a secret mission to help rebels locked in a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka by buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of surface-to-air missiles and smuggling them into their homeland. According to court papers, the men also wanted guns — but not just any guns.
“We need AK-47s, but only if you have Russian-made or American-made,” prosecutors allege one defendant said during a meeting with an undercover agent posing as a crooked arms dealer. “Not the Chinese.”
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In reality, there was no party or even a groom.
U.S. authorities say the men instead were part of a secret mission to help rebels locked in a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka by buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of surface-to-air missiles and smuggling them into their homeland. According to court papers, the men also wanted guns — but not just any guns.
“We need AK-47s, but only if you have Russian-made or American-made,” prosecutors allege one defendant said during a meeting with an undercover agent posing as a crooked arms dealer. “Not the Chinese.”
READ MORE