Greensboro Man Sentenced For Smuggling Goods From The United States

NORFOLK, Va. – Muhaned Abbas Mohamed, 26, of Greensboro, N.C., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States and to make a false and fictitious statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm from a licensed dealer.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Carl J. Vasilko, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Mohamed pled guilty on February 25, 2013.  According to court documents, on September 21, 2011, United States Customs inspectors in Norfolk received a tip from the Greensboro Police Department indicating that a shipping container sent from a business in Greensboro to the Port of Norfolk and destined for Port Said, Egypt contained hidden contraband.  U.S. Customs inspectors in Norfolk located a container sent from an auto parts business in Greensboro.  The bill of lading indicated that inside the container were auto parts consisting of four chopped cars and three motorcycles.  Upon further inspection, six Mossberg 12 gauge pistol grip pump action shotguns were found concealed in the rear seat of one of the cars.  Further investigation revealed that Mohamed had concealed the shotguns, failed to disclose the bill of lading, failed to obtain the required license from the Department of Commerce needed to export the shotguns, and that Mohamed had made a straw purchase of the six shotguns on August 18, 2011 at a Federal Firearms Licensee in Greensboro for a business partner in Egypt.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations Border Enforcement Security Task Force, Customs and Border Protection and the Greensboro Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.