Coon Rapids man sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for smuggling firearms to West Africa

June 20, 2013 at 9:30PM

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for exporting guns to West Africa.

Thirty-eight-year-old McHarding Galimah of Coon Rapids was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court.

A federal jury convicted Galimah in February on one count of smuggling guns to Liberia.

Evidence presented at trial showed Galimah bought 12 guns from a licensed dealer in the U.S. and exported them to Liberia. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Galimah then traveled to his native country and sold the guns.

Prosecutors say Galimah did not have a license to transport the firearms as required by federal law. And federal regulations prohibit exporting guns to Liberia.

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