usmc4669
04-20-04, 04:44 PM
Apr 20, 2:09 PM (ET)
AIDAN LEWIS
ROME (AP) - Authorities in southern Italy seized about 7,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles and other combat-grade firearms from a ship headed for New York, officials said Tuesday.
The weapons - AK-47s, AKM rifles and machine guns worth more than $6 million - were found mixed in with properly labeled guns in cargo containers on board a Turkish-flagged ship that docked at the port of Gioia Tauro, a police official said.
Documents accompanying the cargo indicated the weapons were destined for a company in Georgia, the official said.
During customs controls in Italy, officials found that two of the ship's containers held combat-grade Kalashnikov rifles hidden under conventional firearms that included SKA rifles and Mauser rifles. The rifles were designated combat weapons because they had bayonets affixed and cartridges that held up to 30 rounds, the official said.
The official said police suspected the arms were being smuggled, and he declined to give the name of the company in Georgia, citing the need for secrecy during the investigation.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the weapons were discovered 10 days ago, but that police delayed an announcement until they had carried out further checks.
The ship was traveling from the Romanian port of Constanta to New York.
The AK-47 rifles had been altered so they couldn't be used for rapid fire, but the alteration could be easily reversed, police said.
A 1994 ban prevents the U.S. gun industry from making, importing or selling military style semiautomatic weapons because. But that law expires in September.
[b]An Italian Finance Police officer shows weapons seized in a container including 7,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles from a ship headed for New York, in Gioia Tauro harbor near Reggio Calabria, southern Italy, Tuesday, April 20, 2004. The weapons - AK-47s, AKM rifles and machine guns worth more than US$6 million were found in cargo containers on-board a Turkish-flagged ship that docked at the Calabrian port of Goia Tauro.(AP Photo/Adriana Sapone)
AIDAN LEWIS
ROME (AP) - Authorities in southern Italy seized about 7,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles and other combat-grade firearms from a ship headed for New York, officials said Tuesday.
The weapons - AK-47s, AKM rifles and machine guns worth more than $6 million - were found mixed in with properly labeled guns in cargo containers on board a Turkish-flagged ship that docked at the port of Gioia Tauro, a police official said.
Documents accompanying the cargo indicated the weapons were destined for a company in Georgia, the official said.
During customs controls in Italy, officials found that two of the ship's containers held combat-grade Kalashnikov rifles hidden under conventional firearms that included SKA rifles and Mauser rifles. The rifles were designated combat weapons because they had bayonets affixed and cartridges that held up to 30 rounds, the official said.
The official said police suspected the arms were being smuggled, and he declined to give the name of the company in Georgia, citing the need for secrecy during the investigation.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the weapons were discovered 10 days ago, but that police delayed an announcement until they had carried out further checks.
The ship was traveling from the Romanian port of Constanta to New York.
The AK-47 rifles had been altered so they couldn't be used for rapid fire, but the alteration could be easily reversed, police said.
A 1994 ban prevents the U.S. gun industry from making, importing or selling military style semiautomatic weapons because. But that law expires in September.
[b]An Italian Finance Police officer shows weapons seized in a container including 7,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles from a ship headed for New York, in Gioia Tauro harbor near Reggio Calabria, southern Italy, Tuesday, April 20, 2004. The weapons - AK-47s, AKM rifles and machine guns worth more than US$6 million were found in cargo containers on-board a Turkish-flagged ship that docked at the Calabrian port of Goia Tauro.(AP Photo/Adriana Sapone)