11 sentenced in U.s.-canada weapons smuggling operation

Eleven Columbus men have been convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to smuggle at least 200 firearms from Ohio to Canada, where they were sold for tens of thousands of dollars.

Abdulwahab Sharif Mohamed Hassan, 30, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Columbus to 72 months in prison. Hassanl identified by the U.S. Attorney’s office as the “lead defendant” in the conspiracy, stated during his sentencing that he alone had approximately $88,000 in cash on hand during the trafficking operation, despite not having a job at the time.

To date, at least 10 of the weapons have been directly traced to crimes in Canada.

A federal grand jury had charged Hassan’s co-conspirators, most from the North Side, in indictments returned on Aug. 19, 2020, and Nov. 19, 2020.

The ten others were sentenced to prison terms ranging from about 12 months to 72 months.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the men acquired firearms both legally and illegally, stockpiled them and then smuggled them into Canada to re-sell them for a profit. The weapons were purchased through private sales and through straw purchases at gun shows, including when two individuals bought four firearms in April 2019 at the C&E Gun Show at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.

The men recruited female drivers to smuggle the weapons into Canada or to bring money back from Canada. In exchange, the women were promised a free trip to Canada, cash payments or access to drugs and alcohol, according to U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

The U.S. Attorney’s office did not indicate whether the female drivers were charged or considered unwitting participants in the operation.

In July 2018, more than $11,000 was seized by law enforcement from two of the defendants on one return trip back to Ohio. Two months later, more than $25,000 in cash was seized from two other defendants at the John Glenn International Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

In 2019, individuals related to the conspiracy attempted to travel to Canada and were stopped by law enforcement. During each incident, multiple firearms were discovered in their vehicles.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobbaco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshal’s office, Columbus police, Franklin County Sheriff ’s office, and the Ohio Highway Patrol were among the agencies involved in bringing down the smuggling operation.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the men acquired firearms both legally and illegally, stockpiled them and then smuggled them into Canada to re-sell them for a profit.