Russian SA-18 and SA-16 Igla missiles with components. Photo: US Government/Wikidata.
The US Department of Justice said on Wednesday that Sasa Micev, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been convicted of collaborating with a co-conspirator from the US and others to violate and evade restrictions on arms sales by trying to buy shoulder-launched missiles from North Korea.
Minic, 43, was described in court documents as “an international arms dealer”. He was sentenced to five years in prison by a court in New Mexico.
A Department of Justice statement said Minic attempted to broker the purchase of SA-18 Igla portable surface-to-air missiles from North Korea without the required licence or approvals from the US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control.
It stated that on multiple occasions in 2020, Micev and a co-conspirator discussed unlawfully acquiring the Igla missiles. Micev “provided pricing information, participated in efforts to obtain the items through falsified documentation, and worked to procure the weapons from North Korea despite knowing that such transactions were prohibited under US and international laws”, it said.
In late 2020, Micev and the co-conspirator traveled to Ankara in Turkey to complete the purchase of the Igla missiles. However, according to the Department of Justice, the deal fell through after a price dispute with the North Koreans.
Micev pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the North Korean Sanctions Regulations.
“Those who knowingly attempt to circumvent US export controls and international sanctions to facilitate the illicit trafficking of military weapons pose a serious threat to our national security and global stability,” said acting special agent in charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso in New Mexico.
“Their willingness to profit from prohibited weapons transactions demonstrates blatant disregard for the law,” McRae added.
According to company registries in Bosnia, Sasa Micev was a co-owner of the Banja Luka-based company BSTG (Balkan Security Tech Group), which is currently in bankruptcy proceedings. The company’s website indicates that it offered services in the security sector.
BIRN attempted to obtain a comment, but the contact phone number was unreachable.