ICE Removes Kazakhstani National Convicted of AECA Violations

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement transported a Kazakhstani national back to his home country after he was convicted of international arms trafficking, ICE said in a Jan. 23 press release. Eldar Rezvanov illegally exported defense articles, including firearms and parts, without the proper licenses, the agency said. Rezvanov and a conspirator used aliases to buy the items and lied on federal forms about the final destinations of the exports, ICE said. They smuggled the items onto overseas flights using “false shipping inventories” and “concealed the disassembled firearm components by taping them to metal kitchen utensils before shipping them overseas.” In 2017, Rezvanov attempted to export 395 firearms parts, 75 magazines, and 20 barrels and slides in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Later that year, Rezvanov again tried to export a range of defense-related goods -- including seven pistols, nearly 1,000 magazines and 453 firearms parts -- to Chechnya.