Tried To Smuggle Airbus A300s In China To The Islamic Nation

A U.S. citizen from Brazil who had a long career as an aircraft mechanic has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Miami to attempting to smuggle seven Airbus A300 jetliners from China to Iran in violation of strict trade sanctions against the Islamic nation.

Iran Air had reportedly agreed to pay Diocenyr Ribamar Barbosa-Santos, age 52, of West Palm Beach, FL, $136.5 million for brokering the deal before he was sidetracked by the Department of Homeland Security. He pleaded guilty to violating trade embargoes with Iran, which carries a prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of double any gain from the scheme. That value has not been released by prosecutors.

The DHS became aware of the deal in January of last year through a confidential source, according to a report appearing in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. A series of e-mails between Barbosa-Santos and Iran Air outlined the remuneration expected, An undercover agent then got involved, working with Barbosa-Santos and the confidential source using e-mails and phone calls to set up the deal over several months, which the suspect frequently said to the agent was illegal. After a face-to-face meeting on November 2 of last year, Barbosa-Santos was arrested.

Barbosa-Santos lived the first 19 years of his life in Brazil, and still required an interpreter after 17 years as a mechanic for American Airlines in Miami. He had earned a GED in Boston, and had taken courses in aviation technology and management.

FMI: www.dhs.gov