LOS ANGELES – Authorities have arrested three Philippine nationals on charges of violating arms import laws by selling a grenade launcher and other weapons to an undercover officer.
The men were charged under the Arms Export Control Act in a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in the Central District of California.
The case is part of an investigation of Asian organized crime groups involved in the illicit trafficking of firearms.
Dennis Lao, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, says that beginning in 2010, the men sold the undercover agent weapons that they exported from the Philippines, including 12 fully automatic rifles, a sniper rifle and rocket propelled grenade. The items were seized when they entered the U.S.
The men could face a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.
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