Major Kojo Owusu Dartey Sentenced to 70 Months for Gun Smuggling
A Ghanaian soldier serving in the U.S. Army, Major Kojo Owusu Dartey, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for smuggling firearms from the United States to Ghana. He will also serve three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Major Owusu Dartey was convicted on multiple charges, including false statements to a U.S. agency, perjury, firearms trafficking, and illegal exportation of firearms.
How the Smuggling Scheme Worked
Court documents revealed that Dartey personally acquired firearms and instructed a fellow soldier to purchase more weapons on his behalf. He then hid the guns in blue barrels beneath rice and household items before shipping them to Ghana via the Port of Baltimore.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) intercepted the shipment at the Port of Tema and alerted U.S. authorities, leading to his arrest.
“Dartey purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and instructed a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three additional firearms and send them to him in North Carolina. With assistance from an Army Chief Warrant Officer, he smuggled the barrels to Ghana,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
Additional Legal Troubles
During the trial of U.S. v. Agyapong, a marriage fraud case involving soldiers and foreign nationals from Ghana, Dartey lied under oath about having a sexual relationship with a defense witness.
Initially facing a maximum sentence of 20 years (240 months), Dartey was sentenced to 70 months following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement.
Authorities emphasized their commitment to combating illegal firearms trafficking and ensuring accountability.
Source: Ghanaweb