Mali national smuggles Kalashnikov machine guns from Libya and sells them in Illizi

The Criminal Court of the Illizi District Court of Appeals (south-eastern Algeria) has recently sentenced the accused (H) to seven years’ imprisonment for the crime of illegally importing, carrying, transporting firearms and ammunition, in addition to illegal immigration offenses.

The Proceedings of the case, dated back to December 13, 2011, when national Gendarmerie services intervened after receiving information about the presence of illegal migrants trading firearms in the gardens of the Zelwaz area of  southern Djanet city. 

The members of the judicial police then managed to arrest the accused while selling a firearm of a Kalashnikov type for the benefit of other persons. 

During the investigations, the defendant, who was born in 1991 in the city of Gao in Mali, revealed that a person living in the Libyan city of Ghat  close to the border had contacted him and offered him the sale of Kalashnikov firearms, which he agreed to in return for a certain  sum of money.

 Then, from the city of Ghat, he transferred the arms into Algeria, including five Kalashnikov machine guns, ammunition and 398 bullets, which he hid in a mountain in the area. 

Another person contacted him and told him that someone else wanted to buy a weapon. He agreed with him and required from him the sum of about 8 million centimes, (DA). 

After being rounded up by security forces, the accused confessed to the services of judicial control that they were actually trading arms and also informed them about the spot where the remaining arms pieces were hidden.

The General Prosecutor emphasized the gravity of the facts, namely, the bringing of firearms that may cause the death of other innocent persons, and sought a sentence of 15 years in prison against the defendants.

After the Court’s deliberations, the presiding judge finally sentenced them to seven years in prison.