The South African Star , South Africa
March 18 2004
Bid to identify suspected SA arms dealer
Afrikaans recorded in wiretaps
By Jenni Evans
American and South African authorities are working together to
establish whether a man arrested in New York on weapons smuggling
charges is South African, a US embassy spokesperson said.
“We are working with the South African authorities to get background
information for the US Attorney’s office,” said Judi Moon.
A man reported to be South African was arrested with 17 other people
in New York this week, according to an affidavit handed to the
magistrate in the Southern District court of New York in order to
secure the arrest warrants.
The men now face four charges under US weapons laws.
Moon said they were trying to confirm with local authorities whether
the man was indeed South African, and also wanted to check his
documentation.
“Portraying oneself as a South African is not necessarily an accurate
portrayal,” said Moon. “We don’t know yet if he is.”
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the consulate general
in New York was in touch with US authorities, but that in terms of
the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a detainee must request
contact with his diplomatic or consular mission upon his arrest.
According to the affidavit, the man, identified as Christiaan Dewet
Spies, also known as “David”, faces charges of possessing,
transporting and dealing in firearms, as well as conspiring to do so.
His arrest relates to an FBI investigation into the illegal
activities of Russian and other eastern European organised-crime
groups in the New York City area.
The investigation had been probing illegal arms trafficking in the
city’s metropolitan area, as well as Los Angeles in California and
Miami in Florida.
Spies and others had allegedly been “actively preparing” to import
rocket-propelled grenade launchers, surface-to-air missiles, and
other military weapons and explosive devices into the US for sale to
an informant identified as “CI”.
News reports said the informant was a South African, but although the
affidavit gives no details of the informant, it includes Afrikaans
among the languages recorded in wiretaps during the investigation.
Other languages were Armenian and Russian.
The group allegedly used go-betweens who included former KGB agents.
One of the men also allegedly said he could obtain enriched uranium.
Spies’s main contact was allegedly an Armenian called Artur
Solomonyan. During the extensive negotiations, digital pictures of
Russian-made weapons that they were prepared to import into the US
were allegedly e-mailed to the informant.
South African police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer said the
police were liaising with Foreign Affairs on the matter.
Arms agencies Armscor and Denel said 33-year-old Spies had not
previously worked for them.